Pickups

Choosing the right pickups for your guitar, is an often overlooked part of the whole tone search. We spend most of our budget on expensive pedals but a tone starts with the guitar and its pickups. In this feature weâ€™ll look at different single coil models with David Gilmourâ€™s tone in mind as well as a few tips and tricks.

Simply put, a single coil pickup consists of a given length of coil, six magnet poles and mounting plates. The tone characteristics of a pickup is a combination of different types of ALNICO magnets and coil, number of wounds and the technique used during the winding process. Less turns of the coil creates a cleaner, more transparent tone with less output. The more turns, the more output with more mid range and less highs.

When you pick a string, the vibration resonates between the wood (body and neck) and the strings. The vibration is picked up by the pickup magnets that pushes the magnetic field through a stationary coil. The signal is induced and in turn amplified. The type of wood, lacquer, frets, string gauge, pick etc will colour the resonance.

Why new pickups?

Like pedals, the pickups in your guitar are a part of your tone but perhaps more importantly, they pick up and transfer all the nuances in your playing. You could very well just use whatever pickups you want or even make a pickup yourself but choosing a model that fits and enhances the timbre of your guitar, the tone of your amp and your technique, is important to get the tones you want.

In the listings below, Iâ€™ve focused on the familiar and easily available models from Fender but I recommend that you check out similar models from different brands. Everyone has their special way of winding a pickup and itâ€™s the small nuances that makes a difference.

Choosing the right pickups

Obviously, which pickups you should choose depends on your taste and purpose of use. Depending on what tones you want, a dark sounding guitar, will perhaps need brighter, low output pickups (Fender CS 54, 69), while a bright, thin sounding guitar, can be improved with a set of higher output pickups with more bass and mids (Fender Tex/Mex, Duncan SSL5, EMG DG20).

The same principles applies to combining pickups and amps. The hotter the pickup, the more you push the amp towards breakup. This can cause some difficulty in choosing the right pickup if youâ€™re mostly playing at home. A hotter pickup will compensate for some of the tone loss caused by low volume but it can also make a smaller amp distort sooner. My best tip is to try out a couple of models or at least have some idea of how the models will work with your rig.

I prefer low or moderate output pickups. These are generally more transparent sounding, allowing the pedals and your playing to sound more natural and dynamic.

All of the models Iâ€™ve listed are tested with David Gilmourâ€™s tones in mind, using the same guitar (alder body and rosewood neck) and setups for both stage and bedroom. Most of the models will be able to cover a wide range of other genres and tones as well.

Seymour Duncan SSL-5
Recommended similar models: DiMarzio FS-1
â€¨Based on the late 60s tones, the SSL-5 was conceived in 1979, designed for David Gilmourâ€™s Black Strat. The pickup has a classic, vintage Strat tone with considerably higher output and mid range, compared to the CS69s. Great bridge pickup for more sustain and bite. â€¨
Magnets: Alnico Vâ€¨Resistance ohms: 12.9k (all positions)â€¨
â€¨Gilmour tones: Black Strat bridge pickup (Animals – present).

Fender CS 69 and S Duncan SSL-5 comboâ€¨
This combination is as close as youâ€™ll get to Davidâ€™s Black Strat setup from Animals to present. The moderate output, transparent sounding 69s in the neck and middle, makes a great contrast to the hotter sounding SSL-5 bridge. Ideal for warm and smooth rhythms, bluesy solos and full-blown Big Muff mayhem.

D Allen Voodoo Blues set
â€¨The Voodoo Blues set feature a combination of the Voodoo 69 neck and middle pickups and a slightly overwound bridge pickup for more output and mid range. Lovely open sounding and dynamic pickups, ideal for Hendrix, Blackmoore, Gilmour and all your favourite late 60s tones. See my full review of the Voodoo Blues set here.

D Allen Echoes set
Utilizing a push/push mechanism (the set feature a custom tone pot that you need to swap with your old) you can switch between two â€œmodesâ€ on the bridge pickup â€“ a slightly overwound 69 at 7.6k (same as featured in the Voodoo Blues set) and the even hotter SSL5-ish at 12.5k. The neck and middle pickups are Voodoo 69s. This is a versatile set covering most of David Gilmour’s tones as well as just about everything else. See my full review of the Echoes set here.

EMG DG-20 set
This is a custom set featuring EMGs legendary SA single coils, similar to the Fender CS69, and the active tone controls, the EXG treble and bass booster and SPC mid range booster. The set was featured on Gilmourâ€™s 1983 Fender â€™57 reissues, notably the Candy Apple Red Strat – Davidâ€™s main guitar between 1987-2005. See my full review of the EMG DG-20 set here.

Active VS passive pickups

Single coils are by the nature of their design, quite noisy. Some manufacturers has tried to tackle this issue by designing different kinds of hum canceling systems for single coils. EMG, among others, started to offer active pickups in the late 70s. The advantage of the active pickups was that they shielded the guitar from the huge stadium light rigs and they could also drive the guitar signal through long cables and big effect racks. The down side, and what made many go back to the passive, vintage style single coils, was that the active pickups didnâ€™t sound Straty enough and lacked some of the dynamics of the vintage models.

Others, like Kinman, has succeeded in making noiseless pickups with a twist on the basic, vintage design using iron and differential winding techniques in the noise sensing coils. The tone and dynamics are intact and you get a very silent signal.

If you simply canâ€™t stand noisy single coil pickups, you might want to look into a humbucker. It wonâ€™t sound exactly like a Strat but choosing the right model will take you very close. I prefer the old PAF or a mid 50s humbucker. Set them slightly lower than usual and youâ€™ll have a warm, transparent Straty tone. Itâ€™s also worth checking out the humbucker sized Seymour Duncan Phat Cat P90s.

Pickup height

Thereâ€™s no right way of setting up the pickups but keep the following in mind: low string action will create a strong magnetic pull, which can kill the sustain and create distortion and bad pitch. A high string action will create less magnetic pull but the pickup will also sound weaker and loose some of its characteristics.

I like having the bridge pickup fairly close to the strings and the neck slightly further away. This allows a slighty edgier lead tone and smoother rhythms. You can do this because the strings has a higher tension at the bridge, so thereâ€™s also less vibration and magnetic pull. You can also experiment with different outputs, like a hot Duncan SSL5 bridge and a mild Fender CS69 neck. This allows a bit more boost for leads and solos.

Noise

A single coil pickup is pretty much an exposed antenna picking up all kinds of electric radiation. There are two types of noise that afflict magnetic pickups. HUM is electric interference that surrounds us all, caused by 50Hz (Europe) or 60Hz (USA) alternating mains from electrical components. BUZZ appears as a static caused by radio noise propagation from electrical components (motors, processors etc).

The typical 50 or 60 cycle hum is hard to eliminate. You can add a gate or noise suppressor to the signal chain but these units have a nasty tendency to kill the sustain, if not used right. There are also hum canceling systems like the Ilitch, which works quite well.

However, the most effective and inexpensive way of dealing with the problem is to eliminate as many nearby electrical components as possible and turn away from the source. A few degrees to the left or right or a step back, is often enough.

Buzz can only be eliminated by installing a conductive shielding (copper foil) inside the guitar cavity thatâ€™s connected to ground. Itâ€™s not a shielding like an umbrella but rather a drain of the electric interference out of the guitar to ground. Although an easy and effective way of dealing with the problem, shielding will also reduce some of the high frequencies in your tone by raising the capacitance of the circuit. This is especially noticeable on low output, bright sounding pickups like the Fender CS69.

Pickups is a huge topic and just like pedals, itâ€™s easy to get lost in what models and brands to choose. My best tip is to have an open mind and to appreciate the fact that pickups matter and by choosing the right pickups for your guitar, youâ€™ll get a much better tone and basis for your pedals.

Feel free to use the comments field below and share your favourite pickups models and tips!â€¨

505 Responsesso far.

Hi, Bjorn.
Congratulations on the new album. Beautiful tones.
Have you tried the new Fender American Professional, which replaced the Standards a few years ago? I wonder how these pickups compare to a Gilmour set (Fat 50’s / 69’s / SSL5). Thank you.

I’m currently building my own stratocaster and was wondering what would be good pickups for a Swamp Ash body weighing about 5 1/2 pounds with a maple neck? I would prefer a classic sound similar from Live at Pompeii to Dark Side of the Moon. I’ve heard great things about the Fender CS 69’s (especially the neck position) but I’m afraid the tone would be too ice-picky with the ash body. Would a set of Fender CS 54’s or the Original 57/62 set do the job with them having more mids? I find Texas Specials to be too high output for me. My tone preferences for pickups would be as follows.

Bridge: Vintage-Medium output. Nice punch with some spank when the strings are plucked hard.
Middle: Vintage output. Not too sure about what tone I would prefer but I would want a nice, thick quack in the 2 and 4 positions.
Neck: Vintage Output. Nice, deep low end like the Fender CS 69 neck pickup.

Pickups should be matched to the guitar and amp. The 69s, which would be the closest to David’s early 70s setup, will sound warm and fat on a Hiwatt or Marshall but quite bright on a Fender. Likewise, Texas Specials might sound muddy on a Hiwatt or Marshall but perfect on a Fender. You could go for a mix though, like Texas Special bridge, 69 middle and Fat 50s neck.

I’m thinking of buying an alternative set for Gilmour tones. It’s from a low key winder named Alexander Pribora, supposedly hand wound the old school style in Russia.

The set I’m thinking to get is the ‘hot custom’ set with 5.8k neck and middle and 13k hot bridge. This set seems similar to exactly what you would need for Gilmour tones on a budget.

I’ve did my research and the neck and middle is mid scooped (just like 69’s) and the bridge is high output with more boosted mids, according to his tone chart (similar to ssl5). What do you think? Almost seems like he put the set together just for Gilmourish fans. They are 60 usd shipped by the way! Kinda think it shouldn’t be good for this price point, but you never know..

Hi Bjorne. This is a great site. Anyway wondering if you had any thoughts about the fender pure vintage 65 pickups for a Gilmour tone? And also your thoughts on a bassbreaker 45 amp coming close to hiwatt style amps? Any info would be great.

Hi Bjorn, thanks for this site. I have a set of Pure Vintage 59’s in my strat and was wondering how well these would get close to Gilmour sounds by adding an SSL5 in the bridge. These are based on the pre CBS 59 spec pups. They are low output I believe they are around 5.9 across all positions.

David used a lot of different settings. I guess a combination of adjusting the tone on the fly, how the guitar sounded in each venue and obviously what he needed in addition to the pedals. He mostly had the EXG around 1-2 and the SPC pretty much all over from 1-10 but a good place to start is 5. Keep in mind that the SPC adds mid range so if you have mid rangy and compressed pedals, like a Rat, TS9 and similar. you probably want to keep it low. With Muffs and the more transparent overdrives, you probably want it at 5 or higher.

I want to put a new pup in one of my lap steels and after much research I’ve settled on the EMG SA, which If I’m not mistaken is the single coil version of the EMG H that David has in his red Jedson. Do you know whether David also has the SPC control in lieu of the tone control on that guitar. Do you think it would be a good move to put the SPC control on a lap steel if will it get too muddy?

Thanks for the response, Bjorn but I think you misunderstood my question. I don’t think I explained things very well. A humbucker won’t fit in my lap steel without coring in to the body, which I don’t want to do, so I’m going to use a single coil. I do want to try and get as close to David’s Red Jedson tone as I can. I’ve also always wanted to try out EMG’s and I think this is a good opportunity to do that. I think the best option is to go with the S model, which is brighter or SA model, which is warmer, and as you know is what David has in his Red Strat. In the Jedson though he uses the H, not the HA. If I’m understanding things correctly, David doesn’t need the HA because he already gets the warmth and mids boost from the natural humbucker output. However, because I need to “simulate” that tone, I think the SA would be the better choice rather than the S for my situation. Would you agree? The other part of my question is, because I’m using a single coil, do you think I should add the SPC control?

I see. Yes, the SA would probably be your best choice. The SPC will bring out that mid range similar to what a humbucker would do. You may also want to consider a SSL5, which is very similar although the SPC would allow you to control the mids more.

I recently came across a Fender The Edge Strat, with a DiMarzio FS-1 at the bridge and Custom Shop Fat 50s elsewhere – but the pickups have flat pole pieces rather than the usual staggered. It costs one third the price of the DG signature strat. Do you think it would do a reasonable impersonation of a black strat – how much will the pole piece arrangement affect the tone?

Depends on your amp and what pedals you use I guess. The “complaint” about the CS69 is that can sound thin but the SSL5 can also sound a bit too hot so hard to tell. Personally I find the SSL5 to be the most versatile.

I do not get why emg uses that strange pickguard, why not white does it have something to do with copyright laws i want to change mine how is it done? Why have they not changed it or at least offered an option it just doesn’t make sense let me know what you think.

I tried the Fender NOISELESS and I DID NOT LIKE FOR ANYTHING, HOWEVER INSTALLED A noiseless SEYMOUR DUNCAN STK S4 IN NECK AND MIDDLE AND A STK S6 IN BRIDGE AND WORK VERY WELL WITH THE BIG MUFF AND OVERDRIVES ALTHOUGH THEY ARE A BOTH INSULS FOR THE CLEAN PARTS. Here I leave a link of how they sound taken with a cell phone

Hi Bjorn, I wanted you to see this video. Here we talk about a set as follows: ssl-1 neck and middle, ssl-5 bridge. I really like ssl-1, they are more powerful but they do not have excessive mids. What do you think about it? regards

Cs’69 and SD SSL-5 rules my strat tone. Great job Bjorn, I’m read all about the great Gilmour here. I make customizations on my Fender based on the Black Strat and sounds great for me. What do you think about stainless steel frets on strats? I love in mine. Greetings from Brazil!!!

Hey Bjorn, I absolutely love your dedication to researching the Gilmour tone and I ask you this:

Since I live in a relatively musically isolated and sort of poor country in Eastern Europe, and I’m trying to replicate Gilmour’s sound on a very humble 00s made in china squier special edition, I can’t seem to find a neck cs fat 50s anywhere except in sets, which are way too expensive and downright impractical for what I’m trying to achieve since Gilmour uses 3 different pups. So what is the best (bonus points for cheap) alternative to a neck cs fat 50s? Thanks.

Thanks for the kind words! I don’t really have that much experience with budget pickups. I know there are couple of brands out there that get a lot of praise but I haven’t tried them so I can’t really tell. I know you can often come across single pickups in EBow from reliable sellers and at good price points. Keep in mind that the Fat 50s was featured on the Fender David Gilmour Strat by a request from David but on his own Black Strat, he actually has a 71 Fender neck pickup, which is more or less identical to the Fender Custom Shop 69. The Fat 50s has a bit more mids but the 69 would be more authentic.

There are lots of different models out there, like Duncan, Fender etc. Obviously David used EMG pickups back in the 80s and 90s. Lindy Fralin also has a couple of models with a very effective noise cancelling design.

Thanks Biorn. I followed your recommendation for single coil with Fender â€˜69 neck and SD SSL5 bridge and Alley cats humbucker. I feel missing some of the sweetness of SD Seth Lover on humbucker. I was wondering regardless of if the sound is like Gilmour or not, what are the sweetest sounding and most expressive and complex sounding pickups you found without being harsh (both for single coil and humbucker)?
Thanks a lot.
Arya

What are you missing? Do you feel that the combination of all three doesn’t cover the tones you want? Have you tried balancing the tone/output between the three? A humbucker is something different so if it’s hard to compare I think. What I find to be good sounding might not apply to you. For me it all depends on what I need then and there.

Hi Bjorn, Iâ€™m looking for more sweetness that is found letâ€™s say in Mike Oldfield lead tone (on bridge pickup). Neither SSL5 nor Alley Cats are good for that. Both have a very strong signal so the intricacies of lower impedance pickups are not present. Both are very thick sounding and have a more aggressive flavour compared to what I call sweet (emotional expressiveness and intricacies but without harshness). I think if that quality of tone is not there, you canâ€™t recreate it by pedals and amp knobs.
Thanks,
Arya

Difficult question. Mike Oldfield has a very processed guitar sound. I’m not an expert on his rig but I believe he’s using a combination of amps and DI, with lots of effects and his also playing with his fingers. Not a pick. You could try adding a compressor but I think what you’re describing is an issue with your amp settings or choice of amp. Try tweaking the settings and keep in mind too that by rolling back the guitar volume a tad or two, you’ll get a much smoother top end.

I have the CS 69 and looking to get some other pickups to another guitar that are away from these! CS 54 or 57/62 for some more vintage tones? I can’t decide on these from the samples I have heard online! :(

last weekend I put in the third Fender CS ’69 in my Strat, replacing the SD SSL-5 (bridge) for the sake of testing.
What a difference! Quite less output and a more transparent tone in comparison to the SSL-5.
To sort of match the tones to the SSL-5 with my Keeley Phat Mod I had to raise the gain on it quite a bit and switch to “Phat Mod”.

I am getting definitely closer to Dave’s before Animals tones though: I can f.e. play Syd’s Theme with the Script Phase 90 without the tone distorting. With the SSL-5 it always crackles/distorts a bit although my T20 Hiwatt with V30 cab is set clean. Think the Phase 90 is causing that somehow … should it do that?
Have a Cigar sounds really good though with the gain half way up on the Phat Mod (with and without Phase 90) ;)

Anyway I can see now why some people say there should be a Humbucker or similar in the Strat Bridge because it lacks output, mid range and low end (my Strat had a humbucker in it when I bought it and the SSL-5 does sound similar to that, but obviously with that single coil flair).

I think I am going back to the SSL-5 soon, although I definitely don’t dislike the CS 69 in the bridge.
How close is the DiMarzio FS-1, that Dave used, to both pickups mentioned here?

Have you ever heard about the Seymour Duncan 920D set?
I’d like to hear your opinion about this set, because I wanna change the entire electronic to my Squier Bullet Strat, and I’m deciding between EMG DG20 and this Seymour Duncan 920D, which includes a Seymour Duncan SSL-5 bridge pickup, a Fender Custom Shop 69′ middle pickup and a Fender Custom Shop Fat 50′ neck pickup, what do you think?

I wasn’t aware of this set but it’s appears to be based on David’s actual Black Strat setup. Very different from the DG20, which has a darker more mid rangy tone. These vintage style pickups are more transaprent.

One last quick comment and then I will stay out of the pickups section for a bit…

I actually purchased this pickup set from 920D a few years back and its in one of my relic guitars. The only difference being I replaced the bridge pickup with this pickup…http://www.stratcat.biz/ssl-1c-dg.shtml

Also I wired my second Tone pot to the bridge.

I think its a good set for the money, its not my main guitar but is a handy backup. I play a lot of worship music and my pedal board is based on a lot of the information from Bjorn’s website. The pickups respond well, and I use quite a bit of Ebow from time to time. The fat 50s neck pickup is balanced really well for me and sounds great with the Ebow.

Unfortunately it seems that David Allen is not making pickups anymore. I was excited to order the echoes set but when the payment page is reached there is an error message. Further investigation revealed that he has been having health issues and has not been responding to any emails.

I saw your comment about the Echoes pickups. Sorry to hear about David Allen. I have several of his pickup sets. I have a set of Dovers, Voodoo Blues & Echoes. The guitar I had the Echoes set in, I cannibalized the neck, tuners, bridge and neck plate on to finish out an Eric Clapton loaded body I came across.

Tell you what, if you will send me your shipping address, I will send you the loaded pickguard with the Echoes set. I need to cut down on stuff laying around and would love to see the set go to someone from the Gilmourish community.

What would you think about a combination of a passive set single-coils, like D Allen Echoes (in my case a coustom wound David Barfuss Gilmour Tribute Set with tapered bridge http://www.barfuss-pickups.de/page3.html and an EMG SPC?

Hi Martin, thanks for the kind words! I think it would be a nice combo. Keep in mind though that the overwound bridge pickup already has a lot of output and mid range, so I would assume that the SPC works best on the bridge in tapered position.

I don’t have much experience with different pickups for slide but as with anything it depends on what tones you want. For clean twangy stuff, I’d go for a low output 50s or 60s style Tele or Strat pickup. If you intend to use the slide much like David, with fuzz or distortion, then you probably want something hotter that can provide some of that darker, mid rangy humbucker flavour, around 10-13k output.

Mr. Riis:
Thank you for all of your devotion and expertise to this site! I have a question about the Seymour Duncan SSL-5, since you are a famous user.
Is this pickup wired to the bottom tone control in your #1 Strat?
Thank you sir.

SSL-5 on the bridge swells the high-mid frequency quite a bit. For me constantly creates situations that I have dedicated pedals when I switch to neck vs. bridge (mid boost lowering bass for neck and mid scoop increasing bass for bridge). You can change the capacitor on the bridge pickup. If you use a higher value capacitor it reduces the highs to a point that high mids get affected. Search the web, buy a few capacitors and try to see which one gets rid of that nastiness that you don’t like. You can always use a low value capacitor in parallel to bleed some high frequencies back to the signal so you don’t sound muddy. People don’t realize if they don’t sort out their capacitors to get the tone they want, the tone knob is not going to be very useful because the foundation of the tone has issues, and there are lots of videos in the internet showing the differences of tones with different capacitors. Russian PIO capacitors sound smoother and sweeter to my ears and has some airiness to the tone, probably good for 70s rock style. Orange drop capacitors has a tighter sound probably better for 80s rock tones and perhaps more multipurpose. I would go with Russian PIO because SSL5 is already sounding modern and kind of aggressive so taming and sweetening it is a good idea.

Hi Bjorn, I was wondering if you have auditioned the StewMac EMG DG20 David Gilmour Pro Series Pickguard for Strats. Per StewMac:

“The DG20 is a pre-wired pickguard assembly that has been used by David Gilmour (Pink Floyd) since 1985. This set utilizes EMG’s ivory Alnico loaded SA single coil pickups, an EXG Guitar Expander for increased treble and bass frequencies, and an SPC presence control to enhance your Strat’s earthiness and mid-range. The solderless system comes prewired on a custom 11-hole white pearl pickguard with white knobs for easy installation.

This seems like an awesome setup for a strat. Even if you have not personally used this particular setup, could you please give me your thoughts on the specs? As always, your input is very much appreciated.

I think that’s about right. Hard to hear all the details and the fact that all the tones has the Leslie cab going makes it difficult but I would say that the rhythms 2 is just the bridge and the arp2/outtro is also just the bridge.

Thanks! Yeah I think you’re right, now that I’ve given it another listen …
The Leslie and Phaser make the tone quiet warm and smooth so it’s kinda hard to tell sometimes especially with the Bridge PU.

Interestingly Syd’s Theme has since the Animals tour always been played with the Neck PU, if I recall right from tour recordings/bootlegs and never with a Phaser also. Guess Dave didn’t want to put in the Phase 90 in the pedalboard just for SOYCD :D

Hey bjorn! In the first place I would like to express to you my gratitude for the great good, your posts an website, do to lots – myself inclued. Secondly, after reading most of your posts an comments I grew curious to know the reason why you haven’t fitted none of your guitars with fender 50s fat on the neck position just like david’s current black strat. Any particular reason for that??

Salutations from America Bjorn! I just bought myself a Made In Mexico Fender Standard Stratocaster. I like the tone I get from the bridge pickup, but the neck and middle pickup aren’t Gilmour-ish enough for me. What would you suggest putting in there? Thanks!

I can also recommend them! You will feel and hear a great improvement from the standard mexican PUs. Did the same improvement earlier this year and it’s just flat out better as to be expected at that price ;)
I paid 220 â‚¬ in Germany, so that is like $240. Just for a price reference ;)

Hey Bjorn,
Thank you for your reviews and this amazing site.
I’m currently thinking about changing my pups and I have narrowed it down to either Dallens echoes or Fender CS69. I understand both are great but I’m looking for something versatile as well. I like to play Pink Floyd, radiohead, and some punk rock too, so i was hoping you could give me some advice.
Thanks beforehand BjÃ¶rn

I have a question for you, i have a telecaster mexico, what kind of pickup(single coil) are best for replicating tone like ANIMALS?? I have a stratocaster with d allen echoes set(lovely sound!).
I have a hiwatt t20, pig hoof, fx buffalo powerboost and buffalo td-x.

Thanks for the support, Simon! There are no official records on the pickups in David’s old Esquire other than them being custom wound by Seymour Duncan at some point in the early 70s. Based on the tone, I would go for some 60s models with moderate output. Not as light as the NoCaster and 50s models but medium output.

Don’t know… what pickups are you replacing and why would you replace these with the cheapest you can find? If you’re looking for something cheap then you’d get much more from buying a new pedal or cables.

There are no official info what those pickups are so I can’t recommend anything specific. Based on the tone of the guitar, I would imagine that it’s something close to mid/late 60s specs, with a bit of mid range presence. Possibly 7-8k. The bridge could be an original 50s given the fact that it is an Esquire but I’m not sure. Doesn’t sound like it. The guitar also belonged to Seymour Duncan so I would assume that both pickups are custom wound by him.

I’ve got a Fender American Deluxe with the S1 switch and noiseless pickups. I want to completely remove the pickguard with everything in it and replace it with something more Gilmourish. I prefer to go the noiseless route as I’ve already got a Seymour STK-S6 which is the noiseless version of an SSL-5 as stated on there website. At least it’s probably close enough for me. I’m planning in buying a loaded stock pickguard off Reverb and replacing the pickups. My strat is the natural wood color, so I’m going to put in a black pickguard with everything blacked out for my variation of the black Strat. Because we all need a little indentity of our own sometimes.

I’m putting the STK-6S (read SSL-5) in the bridge. Should I try to find noiseless equivalent pickups for the neck and middle? Should I put in Fender CS69s in the neck and middle and call it good? Should I line the cavity with copper if I go CS69s? Suggestion of any other pickup?

I have a CS69/CS69/SSL5 combo in two of my Strats and are very happy with that. I haven’t tried the CS69s paired with a noiseless pickup so I can’t really comment on that. I would definitely recommend shielding the guitar with copper foil. It makes a noticable difference but keep in mind that shielding and noise reduction is complexe and you should pay as much attention to the quality of the cables, powering etc.

Hi, there!
I am thinking of upgrading my Strat pickups from DAllen 69s to DAllen 62s.
In every youtube video of vintage Strats, 50s sound a lot trebly without the lows balancing the tone, early 60s sound a bit more compressed and powerful and late 60s ones not so full sounding, but warmer than 50s.
In a rock trio band, my 69s through a Vox Ac15 sound weak. I guess I have to spend the extra $ to understand the differences myself.
But my question is why late 60s style pickups are so famous of working better with effects pedals?
Would a 62 set choke my fuzz, muff and overdrive tones?

All of the early Strat pickups have fairly low output so there isn’t a huge difference between the different 50s and 60s models. The early 60s models does have a tad more mids but not nearly as much as Texas Specials or even Fat 50s. The 69s has a bit more low end and teh fact that there isn’t too much mid range going on, makes them more “transparent” and doesn’t colour pedals as much as pickups with higher output and more midrange.

Just put in Fender CS’69s in neck and middle completing my desired pickup setup with the SD SSL-5 in the bridge.
Only tested it last night a bit at low volume, so can’t judge fully yet, but in comparison to the standard mexican PUs, that were in before, it is a noticeable improvement already. More open sounding and transparent. The mexican standard, especially in the neck had loads of treble making it sound very “boomy”.
I guess at that price it should be expected :P

Hey Bjorn,
I wonder if you know what the actual pickups are in David’s 1955 Esquire (workmate) ?
I’d like to put similar into my Tele and hope to get just a little closer to the master’s wonderful sound.
Love your work!!

No one knows really and neither David nor Phil has mentioned it. It’s an Esquire and the neck pickup is obviously custom installed and given that the guitar once belonged to Seymour Duncan, I assume that he custom wound the pickup and possibly the bridge pickup as well. David got the guitar in the mid 70s and as far as I know he hasn’t modified it, which leads me to think that the pickups are either based on original 50s specs or slightly hotter but probbaly no more than 7k.

Do you know if there is any place in the web, where I could find all the Pickup selector positions and settings of the EXP and SPC knobs, for the David Gilmour Red strat EMG pickups, in each song of The Division bell?

Is there a main setting , and some variants? Or many different settings?

Hi Sebastien. Sorry for the late reply. This one got caught in the spam filter for some reason. David mostly used the SPC set between 2-4 and on some solos, mainly with the Big Muff, the EXG was set to around 1-2 for a hint of sparkle. Mind that these settings should be matched to your pedals and amp. Personally I like the SPC a bit higher and the EXG off. You can find pickup settings for PULSE here.

I have the mojotone classic tele pickups,which,although aren’t noiseless,are absolutely amazing pickups,on a level,or better than my set of bare knuckle flat 50’s….I honestly don’t think you can go wrong with any mojotone product.

Hey Bjorn, have you tried Gold Lace Sensors in any of your strats, I have a set in my red tribute instead of Emg’s as I dont like the Dg20’s very much. The Laceys sound great almost perfect for the Pulse and Delicate Sound Of Thunder Sounds!

The bridge has about the same output as the neck so it shouldn’t be a problem. The main difference between bridge and neck is often the output but you should also check the resistance and magnet height.

Hey Bjorn!
Thanks for all this great information here! I have a question, I have an American Strat with the standard pickups and a no load tone control tone pot for the bridge. My problem is that my highs/treble is too loud/piercing/bright especially on clean settings.
It seems the worst with the bridge pickup. The neck and middle pickups aren’t as bad but seem a little muddy to me. I am running it through a Vox night train 15w head into a matching 1×12 cab with a celestion greenback.

My question is what pickups would you suggest to darken up my tone and help bring down the highs to a warmer more gentle sound but without having everything sound too muddy?

Hi Chris! Before you start swapping pickups I’d run a check list to isolate the problem. Vox amps are bright so you might want to check you amp settings and see if that helps. You might need to roll down the treble considerably. What sort of pedals do you use? What are their settings? A common issue is that people often set the treble and tone controls too high on the dirt pedals. Keep in mind that these needs to be adjusted to the amount of gain you use. How’s your string action and pickup height? Let me know if you need more help :)

Thanks Bjorn!
I tired rolling my treble down to about 3 or 4 which helped slightly but also seemed to really muddy up the sound. I also rolled the tone knob down to about 6 on my Strat’s bridge pickup which also helped some, but again muddied up the tone even more.

I have the gain on my Vox at only around 3 because I’m trying to get a clean of tone as possible and then let my pedals add the rest. Right now I have a Polytune mini, an OCD overdrive, a Keeley Dark Side, and a Hall of Fame Reverb pedal in that order.

Would you be able to maybe suggest a different more darker amp as well? What do you think of the Blackstar HT Club 40?

The HT Club 40 is a fairly modern sounding amp, somewhat close to the newer Marshall models. It has a decent clean channel for your pedals. You might also want to look into the Laney Lionheart amps, which are kind of a mix between Vox and the early Marshall Plexi/JTM. One of the most versatile amps I’ve played and they handle pedals very well.

Thank you Peter! I’m old school when it comes to pickups so personally I’d go for some PAF/57s. I also think those guitars sound really good with a P90 in the neck (Seymour Duncan Phat Cat) and a PAF/57 in the brigde. Cheers!

Hello Bjorn! I am searching for some pickups that sound like the ’71 Strat pickups in the Dark Side of the Moon album. I would buy originals from that era but they are way out of my budget. Can you recommend any that sound like them?

Also, slightly unrelated, I heard that 1971 Fender Stratocaster Pickups was wound with lead. Is this true?

I haven’t read anything about led but I’m sure a Google search will shed some light on that. Based on both the sound and specs of David’s 71 pickups I would go for Fender Custom Shop 69 or similar from other brands. My favourites are D Allen Voodoo 69.

Hi Bjorn!
Hope you’re doing well. I recently had the bridge pup of my CS69 set replaced with the SD SSL-5. I dig the extra power, for sure; but it seems it’s a bit dominating in tone (and volume, tbh) when engaged in combo switch position(s) with the middle pup. Anything similar happen to you? I asked the tech (because I didn’t trust myself to install) and he claimed the only option was to lower the bridge pup height which I did but not much changed. I had seen in some threads on your site before, maybe something regarding changing the lead wiring; but when I mentioned that he acted like he didn’t follow and told me what I was asking would compromise the overall accurate tone of the pups entirely. So I guess I’m not sure what to say to simplify my tone goal or maybe show him (or possibly another tech lol) what/how to address the issue. Thank you for your time. You’ve been my Guru of Gilmour inspiration, knowledge and not to mention wallet emptying since high school and I’m 27 now; so thanks again…for most of the afformentioned ;)

Hi! The wires should be reversed when installed with teh CS69s but based on how you describe the tone, your tech has already done that. Otherwise, you’d hear a very dull, almost nasal sounding tone. The SSL5 has about twice the output as the CS69 so there will be a difference. The SSL5 is louder and darker, with more mid range. That’s kind of the idea as well. The SSL5 will provide fat sounding leads, while the neck and middle pikcup will sound smoother and less aggressive. I’d give it time and experiment with your amp and pedal settings to match your new setup.

Hello Bjorn, my apologies if this question has been asked / answered before. On your #1 Black Strat, is the Seymour Duncan SSL-5 bridge pickup wired to the bottom tone control? My reason for asking is that I’ve read a lot of comments about the SSL-5 being “fairly dark,” and not having it wired to a tone control opens it up a bit. Thank you for you insight.

Hey Patrick, it’s not, at least not in my setup ;) That does mean I can’t control the tone of the bridge pickup, which my local guitar store friend says, is normal. I tend to find the SSL5 sounds fairly bright or normal I guess, as it should be. There were only two cables on the SSL5, black goes to the volume pot and white to the pickup selector, which is NOT connected to the tone control in case of the bridge PU ;)

Hey Bjorn — First, WOW. What a website. I discovered this site a few years ago but it was too advanced for me — it still is, but I’m dipping my toe. I’m not good enough to appreciate many of the subtle tonal differences you discuss, but I am a huge Gilmour/Floyd fan and have wanted to get closer to his tone for a while, though I would not pretend to be able to play at a 10th of his level. That said, I have an SRV Strat with the Texas Specials, and I just purchased an 08/09 American Standard whose prior owner has installed EMGs. I’m actually not sure whether they are the DG20 set yet with the SPC and EXG (guitar has a single-ply black pickguard, not the usual pearl white, and I haven’t taken it apart). I also have a Keeley Dark Side workstation pedal on the way, which I have heard described as “Gilmour in a box”. Of course no single guitar or pedal or amp alone I play through a little Vox AC15, and only in my home) will make someone a Gilmour, but with my two strats, this pedal and the amp, can I get some of those big, lush, clean, atmospheric tones…? I think of his “Marooned” on the Strat Pack, as well as his Comfortably Numb and Echoes from Live in Gdansk… That tone that gives you goosebumps… Can what I have get close? If not, is it worth putting the Black Strat combo into the Am. Std. instead of the EMGs…?
Thanks!

Haven’t had much experience with them. I prefer true passive single coils myself and vintage specs. They’re a bit more noisy but that can be treated with different mods. Lace and other more modern pickups are great for eliminating noise and if you want that specific tone but there are some cons too, like less top end and, in some models, a slightly processed tone. Anyway, it’s all down to taste so I recommend that you try a few guitars with different pickups just to get an idea.

His Black Strat feature the original SSL1-c, which, according to Seymour Duncan, is closer to the SSL5. The Fender Signature and NOS Strats feature the SSL5. The SSL1 available from Seymour Duncan is closer to a Fender CS69.

When I bought my black strat I naturally switched the bridge fat 50’s to an ssl-5 … I did not like it… I know the extra noise floor comes from the pickup being hotter, but it’s way too noisey for me and the hum on the second switch position doesn’t cancel like with the stock fat 50’s … to me the fats just sound cleaner and smoother… the ssl-5 sounds almost lo fi and ice pickey as it is waaaaaay too bright…. does someone here feel the same way as I do? Or does everybody prefers the seymour duncan pickup over the fat 50’s in bridge position … crazy to me how people preffer just higher output than actual tone , unless I’m tone deaf and have no idea what I’m saying…

It depends on what amp you’re using it with and how you compensate for the extra noise. I love the SSL5 for its higher output and tone. It makes my Strat much more versatile as I can use it for heavier stuff as well. It goes well with my amps but then again, I set the amps very clean which makes the pickup sound less hot. Shielding the guitar makes a huge difference. As does using shielded cables and proper powering. Keep in mind that higher output pickups and lots of gain from amps and pedals will only amplify what ever noise there is in the rig. There are lots of tbhings you can do to reduce that noise.

I had to reverse the leads on my SSL5 to fit the polarity of the 69’s. While it sorted out the hum and phase problem with the middle pickup – it also had the effect that the SSL5 would hum very loudly if I touched the pole pieces.

To fix this grounding problem on the SSL5, I simply used copper tape (conductive on both sides – the kind you use for shielding).

Make a thin strip of copper tape and tape it across the bottom of the pole pieces on the SSL5 pickup. Connect the strip to ground (like the foil on the back of the pickguard) and voila. Quiet pickups.

I just had a quick question. I’ve been wanting a humbucker guitar for awhile and finally decided to do it. I’ve got a friend in the UK building me a body and I think I’ve decided on a set of The Mules from Bare Knuckle pickups for that PAF sound. I had originally written Sean from TTS as your tone on Time Jamming is just sublime, but Sean isn’t making pickups anymore I think. Anywho, I was wondering if you remembered if you had Sean wax-pot your Custom PAF’s or if they are unspotted? I don’t play super high gain-y stuff, but occasionally like to crank a fuzz.

Hi Jason! The pickups are potted and they’re based on the original PAF design. I haven’t been in contact with him for some time and I think he’s out of business. Anyway, I haven’t tried the Bare Knuckle, so I can’t tell but I’m sure they’re great. Most of my guitars have D Allen pickups now and I really recommend his Alley Cats, which are based on the PAFs.

Hi Bjorn,
Lurker for years and first post. Found a free China made strat pack from a friend’s garage and want to bring it to life. Going to start with changing everything but tuners for now. So hoping you could throw a few thoughts out….

As a novice with a soldering gun for small repairs, would you recommend prewired pick guard or would this be a decent learner project?

Also, what pups would you recommend for playing bedroom / house garage levels through a 74 Princeton reverb or a 66 vibro champ? I’m fond of Fender 69’s or the fender cs combo, want to be sure…

I also have an all original 74 strat that I play with at the house only…. would this influence a different mod/pickup configuration for variety? I.e. Go with modded strat on wywh animals and beyond?

Last but not least… Available pedals…. dyna comp, vox wah, phase 90, ts808, Dunlop mini silicon fuzz, then a few old ones from earlier days… (all early 90s) boss sd-1, boss eq, boss flanger, Marshall shred master. (Sounds decent as a miab) Which to keep on board and what order should I try?

Loving the phase 90 from your reviews…. first time I’ve nailed favorite dsotm tone that I’ve listened to since I was a kid.

Sorry for so many questions. Hoping to build the black modded strat for my 8 year old to play and keep some day!

Hi Zach! Sorry for my late reply. The Fender CS69s should go nicely for your setup. Soldering is fairly easy to learn, there are lots of tutorials on YT, but you need to make it clean and tidy. I’d have a tech do it if you’re not sure you’re up to it.
As for the pedals, you should be able to get the tones you want with at least the 808 and phase90 and , depending on the amp, the Fuzz Face. You might also want to look into a delay unit and perhaps a bit more versatile distortion pedal, like the OCD. Check out this feature for some tip on arranging the pedal board.

Anyone here using ceramic pickups? There’s just something about them that keeps me from putting my SSL-5/CS 69/Fat 50’s with neck/bridge mod switch pickguard set in my MIM black strat, I find the ceramics get a nice thick/fat tone.

Bjorn, I have a question. So I’m working on a new project guitar, in the project guitar I built last year I dropped in a set of the D Allen Echoes. I really like these pickups except for the neck pickup isn’t quite what I need. So I grabbed an EJ neck pickup off ebay. (I have an EJ strat and really love this the neck pickup in these guitars). Then I went to the D Allen site to grab a set of the 69 Voodoo Blues only to find that they aren’t offered anymore. Long story short, I was able to find a NIB set on ebay. They arrived today but when I opened the set the pole pieces seem to be smaller in diameter than the EJ pickup and most Strat pickups in my experience. Did you find this to be the case as well with this pickup set? And did it effect the sound of the pickups? Apologies for the long story setup.

Hmmm… I haven’t really thought about that. Don’t have any experience with the EJ pickups so I can’t compare but I haven’t noticed any significant difference between the Allens and other PUs that I have.

Would it be advisable to invest in a second-hand set of Lace Sensor Golds (the “Fender Lace Sensor” ones, found on late 80’s/early 90’s Strat Plus, not the new Lace Sensors) as an option to the EMG active system? I’m aiming for something close to the Delicate Sound of Thunder/Division Bell/Pulse clean sound, without the hassle (and price) of an active system. What do you think?

Hi Bjorn, great site and articles, they’ve been most helpful over the years. I have a question if you could help. I have 2 strats which I’ll be changing the pickups in ( I’ll be fitting some sd ssl5 and ssl1s into one of them) it currently has texas specials in and the bridge has no tone control and is way too harsh and shrill. Before I change anything are there any particular mods that you’d recommend for tone control to the bridge or if it’s just not the right pickup for me. Thanks.

Thanks for the kind words, Kevin! You can experiment with different pots and tone caps but I don’t think there’s anything wrong with your guitar. First, the SSL5 has a dark, mid rangy tone so you should check that out before you start modding the guitar. Also, what sort of amp do you have? How’s it set up? What pedals do you use? What’s the string and pickup height on teh guitar? All these things has an impact on the tone and can easily be adjusted for a better tone.

Thanks Bjorn, the ssl5 is in and an ssl1 in the neck. The guitar sounds way better. I now have the second tone dial to control the bridge pick up. To answer your hypothetical question though I play through either a ltd edition blues junior or a 70’s wem amp and use a mooer yellow comp, mooer triangle buff, ts808, a mobius and a red witch violetta delay. That pick up change has made all the difference though and am really enjoying playing this previously unloved guitar.

The humbucker was installed in January 1973 and by that time, David’s guitars for the album was already done. He did use it on the early live performances of the album but it’s not known how and on which songs.

Hi Bjorn,
Thank you for the amazing website and very useful and professional information. I just bought the CUB12r amp and Vick audio Rams head after reading your site. I have 2 types questions:

1- What do you think of installing all SSL-5 for bridge , mid (RWRP) and neck? Or SSL-1 for mid and neck and keeping SSL-5 for bridge.
Also on recommended combo with CS69 and SSL-5 , is it possible to get humbucker effect on position 2 & 4 on on the PU switch ?

Personally, I’d go for a CS69/SSL1 neck and middle and SSL5 for the bridge. The SSL5 is a bit too hot and dark for the neck and middle for my taste. For the Cub, I’d go for the Buffalo TD-X Tube Driver. It’s slightly smoother and warmer, which goes much better with the Cub.

Thank you Bjorn for the reply i think i will do as you suggested ; for SSL1 in the mid I may go with RWRP.

I finally bought Wampler Plexidrive and just got it tonight. Could only try it at at very low volume (around 3) not to bother the neighbors :) and am already in love with it. Can’t wait to try it tomorrow at higher volume. Just interested to know how different Buffalo TD-X is from this pedal?

When I was playing around with it I noticed a sort of muffed sound at some intervals when using after Vick Audio Ram’s head mostly when playing some chords; I never experienced this before; I can manage to control it but is this normal? It is my first experience with a tube driver and I am just experiencing stuff.

Hi Hessam! Like the old JTM amps, the PlexiDrive has more compression, a hair more mids and a bit of that high end sparkle, compared the the Tube Driver or TDX, which has a slightly more balanced tone, with less compression. Still, they’re very similar and the JTM is definitely and inspiration for the Tube Driver design. As it has some mids and compression, I’d be careful using it as a booster for Muffs, as it easily can make the Muff sound dark and almost choked. I’d either run the Vick alone, with perhaps the mids switch in either flat or boosted mode, or, with a more transparent booster.

I’m not really sure. I haven’t seen any official documentation on that. He got the guitar from Seymour Duncan, who also installed the custom neck pickup, so I’m assuming that the bridge pickup might also be custom wound. Given the time he got it, mid 70s, and the tone, I’m guessing that the bridge at least is slightly hotter than what you would find on a stock mid 50s Esquire. Probably something around 6.5-7k on the bridge and slightly lower on the neck, but I’m not sure. Sounds to me that they’re a tad fatter than the typical low output 50s era Tele pickups.

Dear Bjorn,
thank you very much for your awsome work.
What do you think about a set consisting of van zandt vintage plus (neck and middle) with a van zandt blues to the bridge?
Thank you so much for your help
Diego

I haven’t tried them so I can’t tell about the tone. The Vintage Plus should be close to the CS69s, which would go well for David’s 70s tones in particular, and the Blues seems like a slightly hotter version, similar to the SSL5.

Depends on what you’re combining them with. You can make the CS69s sound very dark on a dark amp but in general, I would say that the Tex/Mex or Texas Specials are the darkest. You might also want to check out other brands and stuff like the Seymour Duncan SSL5s.

Hey Bjorn. I went ahead and tried out these “Zexcoil”. After trying out literally dozens of pups, from fender vintage types, to stacked noiseless, to EMG’s, I was never completely satisfied. Even though most were really good pups, none of them ever gave me that WOW feeling until now.

I have never been so pleasantly surprised until now. They wind each Alnico 5 pole piece individualy. Because of the design, you wind up with completely silent pups with no dummy coil robbing you of your straty top end and bite. They are absolutely amazing and I wou put them up against any vintage, noisless, or active pup on the market.

If you would like, I will email Dr. Scott Lawing (inventor and owner of Zexcoil) and see if he’ll send you a set to review. He is also a really good guitar player and does pink floyd tributes.

hi, bjorn
just share my experience about the pickups, finally loaded a CS69(neck)+CS69(middle)+SSl5(bridge), with 10-46 strings, it’s awesome! I really recommend this set to you all who is trying to get close to the DG’s tone.
Thank you Bjorn, it was you who guide me here!

Hi Bjorn!
This period I try to get out of the Gilmour zone, I’ve been so many years guitarwise, ampwise, pedalwise…Playingwise most important!
I want to build a new Strat and my first Tele. For the Strat I want early 60s features and I am thinking about the pickups of DAllen.
I ‘ve got a set of DAllen 69s, after watching you and I really love them! Any idea how a set of Tru62 would compare to the 69s, and how they would play through Overdrivers and Fuzzes?
Last, I ain’t got a clue of Teles! Any idea about the differences between black and grey bottom Tele Vintage Pickups? I was considering the 59s of DAllen’s…
Have a nice day, cheers!

I have Custom Texas Specials installed in my mexico strat, but I think they’re a bit to loud, noisy and sharp (hot?). So I’m considering replacing them with either EMG DG20, fat 50s, 54 or CS69, but I do not have any personal experience with any of them.

After doing some research on the DG20 (reading your review among others) and heard som youtubes of them I’ve decided not to go with them. Of the 50s, 54 and 69 most people prefer the 69s (included you?), and after some youtubes I think I concure to that. But I also see that you several times recomend the Custom Texas Specials.

So, will it make any difference swapping them out in favor of the 69s, or is it just a wast of money?

I like the sound from all the eras all the way from “dark side of the moon” and uptil today. I’m mainly playing at home on a Laney Lionheart 5w combo.

Hei Kjetil :) The Lionheart has both a bit of mids and a high end sparkle, so yes, the Texas Specials can come off as a tad too bright and aggressive. Compared to the CS69s, they got more mids and an overall hotter or louder output. The CS69s, has scooped mids and a lower output. Some find these to be a bit thin but I’ve always used them and they go nicely with the Lionheart. The Fat 50s is somewhat similar to the Texas, so I wouldn’t go there.

Do you know if pickup positions 2 and 4 in the CS NOS/Relic strats are noise cancelling? or there something inherent in the selection of the pickups that does not allow for reverse windings? I have a NOS strat and get noise in all 5 positions; especially evident when using big muff type effects. I know you mentioned that David actually uses a different middle PU than the CS signature strats so curious if you have any insights about his setup and noise management. I did see him live recently out her in Los Angeles (incredible show) and noticed he does turn the volume knob down between songs but I did not hear a super prevalent hum in many of his solos. Thanks again for providing such a valuable resource!

There is hum and hiss in his signal but he knows how to hide it :) It’s several years since I played the DG Strat so I can’t tell for sure but I thought there was hum cancelling in 2-4 position… I need to verify that. Anyway, you should hear it if there is. His guitar also has some extra copper foil under the pick guard for shielding. Again, I’m not sure if the DG Strats has that. Noise is such a big topic and the source of the noise you’re experiencing might come different places inside and outside your setup.

So I just finished my first Black Strat build. I started with a 50’s Roadworn Black Strat/ Maple neck, all Nitrocellulose finished. I know what you have said about those necks drying out prematurely, Bjorn…but After 2 RW strats and one Tele , in 2 years they are all A-OK and these are 2008 and 2010 models i bought used. In my experience the next step up in sound/playability from $900 Roadworns are $2500-and-up Custom Shop models. Anyway: I installed a custom Pickguard with the rounded edges and the “secret switch” ($106 pick-guard w/switch). And I followed the Fender CS pickup setup of Fat 50’s/ CS 69/ SS5. BIG MISTAKE. The Fat 50’s sounds thin and less “DG/sweet sounding” compared to the 69 in the neck. I switched them around and voila. I strongly second your setup of 69/69/SS5. The other things that I feel got my setup to sound satisfyingly close to an overall DG tone is: a .047 cap (Zoso cap=awesome) and more importantly: Rotosound 10’s . Forget the DG GHS strings: they are too bright and trebbly at least with these pickups. I switched several times. The Rotos sound very “sweet”, smooth and clear. Last thing is pickup heights change things a whole lot. You have to adjust them day by day over a week’s time, at least that’s what i needed to do. Overall cost was about $900 incl $600 paid used for the base 50’s RW strat. I played a CS Gilmour sig at GC last weekend. It was a very nice guitar but mine compares very well. The tone of the mixed neck+bridge via the switch is beautiful and worth having even if DG hardly uses it.

I’m planning on swapping the bridge pickup on my Eric Johnson Strat with a Seymour Duncan SSL-5 to chase the Wall/Final Cut tones (also just ordered a Skreddy P19 and a Mooer ElecLady to that same end–thanks so much for your reviews of those!).

Do you have the SSL-5 in your Strat wired to the tone control? I’m trying to decide which way to wire mine and I’m curious if you have tried it with and without the tone control and if you felt having the added load from the tone control darkened it and reduced the output a little too much (I believe GIlmour’s is unloaded)?

Hi Bjorn
i was looking on the Kinman website and they are now offering unaged noiseless pickups. they say they now found like true single coils without the hum and they are offering a gilmour set.
any chance of a review of them as they have mentioned your site.

Our boxed set comprises Impersonator Fat 50 bridge with Impersonator A56 middle and neck which is closer to the pickups of 1979 . See the Single Strat Pickups Tab (above) for details about each individual model.

These pickups will deliver the sound you want with all the amazing benefits that only Kinman can offer. For a start our low strength Alnico rod magnets promote sustain by reducing magnetic string pull -and- simultaneously reducing string crash which also shortens sustain by robbing energy from the vibrating strings when they crash into the frets. This also makes the sound cleaner with less buzz and clatter. And the best of all is Zero-Hum (noiseless). These are the reasons Kinman Strat pickups are the Pure Musical Energy pickups.

Some people will call these noiseless Stratocaster pickups but Kinman prefers to describe them correctly as Zero-Hum Stratocaster pickups. That’s because there are 2 types of noise, Hum which is cancelled in the pickup and Buzz which can only be minimized by shielding the wiring cavities (refer to >Technical >Perfect Guitar >Shielding for newer guitars

I am playing a MIM TeleÂ®, and would like to know what are the best pickups for my TeleÂ® that don’t require any body mods? Also, I know SRV played a StratÂ® with Fender Super 250R strings. Other than your recomendation on new pickups, which strings would you recomend for bending the Blues licks on my TeleÂ®?
Thanks…

I prefer vintage low output pickups for that classic Tele tone. It depends on your amp too but I’d look at the Fender Texas Specials, which are slightly hotter than your typical 50s and 60s pickups and great for blues. Lots of makers has similar, so check out D Allen, Seymour Duncan etc. As for strings, SRV used high gauge strings, which is a real pain if you’re not used to it. Billy Gibbons and BB King on the other hand, use(d) 09s and even lower. I think strings are so personal and subjective and I really just recommend that you try a few different gauges and feel for yourself. Thicker strings does not mean a fatter tone. A tone depends on so much more than that :)

Hi Bjorn, I recently acquired a 1995 Les Paul studio. I wanted to have a humbucker tone for some other music. I actually like the shorter scale of Les Paul and how easily the strings bend and plenty of sustain. Also with these pickup I found I get enough brightness if I need it although when I get high frequency overtones of the overdriven tone (which is so easy to get with hot humbuker pickups), I can reduce the brightness from the tone knobs and thicken up the tone while still I have enough high frequency presence in the tone. These 90s Les Paul humbuckers are apparently a middle of the road by means of the hotness (somewhere between 57 classic and Burstbucker). Is there any favorite humbucker pickup that you prefer, and if that’s the case which ones are they, and why do you prefer that. I’m using Vick Audio Overdriver, Wampler Plexidrive, B.K. Butler Tube Driver, etc. into Laney Cub head and bright sounding speakers (vintage Fane and vintage Fender). I’m also interested in tones of Andy Latimer, Steve Hackette, and Steve Howe with humbucker pickups. Sorry if it is a bit off the Gilmourish topic.:)

Hi Arya! I’ve used all kinds of different humbuckers but always come back to the old PAFs. I’ve used different brands but now it’s the D Allen Alley Cats. I find these, and PAFs in general, to be the most versatile, especially since I’m relying on pedals for most of my tones. They can handle pretty much anything, produce any tone I want and the moderate output and wound doesn’t colour the tone.

Quick question for Bjorn or any others in the know…I am looking to get a new strat as a backup to my D Allen ‘Echoes’ equipped AS Strat and I’m looking for something that will sound similar but different enough to cover some other styles. I’ve been reading a lot of stellar reviews about the HSS Shawbucker equipped AS Strat and I actually like the Fat 50’s Neck and Middle and I really like the idea of a quiet bridge pickup as my signal chain can be noisy at times. For reference I typically run Strat or Tele>Vick Audio 73 Ram’s Head>Boss BD-2>Mooer Eleclady>Nova Delay>Boss RT20 split into a Hi-Tone DG50 and a 59 Reissue Bassman LTD. My tone is heavily influenced by David Gilmour’s solo album, with “So Far Away” being a particular favorite. I haven’t owned a humbucker equipped guitar for many years, so pardon my ignorance, but my question is on whether a low output PAF style humbucker like the Shawbucker (which measures around 7 for DCR) would have comparable output and “hotness” to an overwound single coil like an SSL-5 (which I believe measures close to 13). Thank you in advance for your time.

I suppose I should add that the Shawbucker is on a 500k pot, as opposed to the neck and middle being on 250k. I know this will serve to brighten it up a bit but I don’t know if this would have any effect on the output.

A HSS would be the next step in terms of a hotter bridge. A PAF or even a P90, like the Duncan Fat Cat. It would go nicely with your rig. Keep in mind though that a humbucker does sound very different from the guitar you have but I use humbuckers a lot and with some tweaking you can easily get some really nice Gilmour tones, and lots of other tones obviously, with them.

Great, thanks for the info! It’s very much a PAF style humbucker. What kind of adjustments would I need to make to dial in a FS-1/SSL-5 type of Gilmourish sound? I’m concerned about it sounding too ‘metal’-ish with the Muff.

Hey Bjorn, i just got a 1991 Fender American standard telecaster with a PAF neck pickup in hope to get a similar “dogs” like sound. The PAF is amazing but I don’t really like the bridge pickup, way too trubley for me and way too high.. Reminds me of chuck berry kind of tune which I don’t really relate to.. I was thinking about replacing it with an ssl-5.. I’d like your opinion regarding what type of sound will I get from this setup and will it combine well with the PAF? Thank you!

I wouldn’t place a pickup with that high output in the bridge position of a Tele. You might experience a lot of feedback and possibly microphonics as well. Better to either have a typically low or medium output single coil or a humbucker. I haven’t tried the Am Standards for a while but they used to have pickups with lots of high mids, which can make them sound a bit harsh so you might want to look into something a bit more vintage around 5-7k output. Keep in mind too that Telecasters are brighter than Strats and certainly Les Pauls so it also depends on your amp and the pedals you use.

I have read all sorts of discussions, here and elsewhere, regarding the use of pickups to capture the “Gilmour sound” and after I got a new Fender Custom Player 50s Strat this year so that I could semi-retire my road-worn 1960s era Strat (not a reissue) that I’ve played for over 20 years. My older Strat had EMG DG20s but this time I wanted to stay away from the active pickups.

The Custom Player comes with American Vintage 57/62 pickups, which are fantastic for early Strat tones. However, I was after a warmer, more Gilmour tone in certain positions. After reading at length about the SD SSL-5 in the bridge, Fat 50 in the neck and Custom 69 in the middle,

I bought an SSL-5 for the bridge and kept the other two. It sounded closer to what I was looking for, but not quite “there,” in my opinion. Then I found a website of a guy who mods guitars to recreate certain tones of a few different great guitarists – Gilmour prominently among them. His name is Craig Wells and interestingly, he managed to get an exclusive contract with Seymour Duncan to produce SSL-1C DG pickups for him to sell (the “DG” stands for David Gilmour). It’s a SD Custom Shop pickup that I could not find on their website.

In addition to the SSL-1C, I also added a Fat 50 in the neck. I kept the original 57/62 in the middle because they have the cleanest sound I’ve heard in any Strat pickups. This combination, together with the factory wired switch that activates the bridge and neck pickups in position four (instead of the neck-middle), is unbeatable, in my experience.

Needless to say, my guitar now sounds exatly the way I wanted it to and when I want to cut through the mix with a lead line, the SSL-1C greatly outperforms the SSL-5. Granted, you will pay about twice as much for the SSL-1C compared to the SSL-5, and I am far from wealthy, but it was well worth the money and time. It is also about the same price as other SD Custom Shop pickups, so I don’t think he is gouging people on price.

I do not work for Craig Wells nor am I affiliated with his business (OverDrive Custom Guitar Works) or website, but I have spoken with him at length about the pickups and other Gilmour-related gear he offers. I do not receive any money or other consideration from him for telling you all of this. I simply feel that if guitar players are looking to mod their Strats to emulate the Gilmour tone, there is no better place to start than the SSL-1C DG and it seems this guy is the only source of that pickup.

I’m working on a strat project (alder body and maple neck),where I already chose the neck and middle pickup, which will be a Dimarzio Area 67… I’m not sure yet about the bridge.

Have you tried the Dimarzio Chopper? I’m wondering if it could be a noiseless alternative for the SLL-5 or FS-1…. according to the manufacturer site, the EQ of the Chopper is similar to the FS-1, and the DRC is not supper high, only 9.16kohm (but it’s ceramic).

If you never tryied, would be possible to comment on what you think of this choice? Do you believe the chopper will sound good with Muffs?

Hey Bjorn! I just bought a Standard USA Tele and I love it but I feel like it would sound even better with a pickup swap. Do the single coils in this article also work for telecasters too? My tele has a maple neck and I’m looking for clear sounding pickups with heaps of clarity when playing chords and definition on single notes without getting harsh. Pretty much gilmourish tone, could you suggest some pickups for me please, that would be greatly appreciated!

Everything I’ve listed here are Strat pickups so they don’t apply to Telecasters. However, like the Strat pickups, vintage style 50’s and 60’s pickups has that transparent clear tone, with the bright chime and tight low end. Anything at 7K and below. Any higher and you’ll get a darker tone and more mids, which is great for a hotter tone but you’ll lose some of that Tele twang.

You did a tremendous job with this website. There is a lot of useful infos here, thanks !

After reading your article on pickups, I decided to change the pickups of my Squier Stratocaster Classic Vibe 50’s and go for a combination with a Fat Strat 50’s in the neck position, a CS 69 in the middle position and a SSL-5 in the bridge position.
I installed the new pickups and, at the same, I also shielded the cavity with some copper tape as recommended on Kit Rae’s website.
After everything was set properly, I plugged my “new” strat in my L5 studio amp and started to play some Pink Floyd stuff. On clean sound, everything was ok but when I turned on some distortion pedals (Mooer Black Secret or Mooer Triangle Buff) while on the bridge pickup I noticed some strange sound when playing notes above 14th on the G string. I made some research on the net and learned about “stratitis”, a dissonant effect which is due to the magnetic pull of the pickups on the string. As suggested by some people, I tried to solve it by lowering the pickups heights until the plastic cover was flush with the pickguard but without success. The effects was a bit weaker but still strong enough to make sustained note very unpleasant to hear.
I also tried some other suggestions (checking intonation, checking action, using a wounded G string, damping tremolo spring,…) I found to solve the issue but nothing helped.
Finally, I asked a guy who is working as a guitar tech in a local music shop and he told me there is not much left I can do about it.
Now, I have put back the original pickups and stored the new ones in the drawer.
In the end, I just wanted to share my not-so-happy experience and to warn some people who don’t know much about pickups, like myself, that is not always as easy as it seems to change guitar pickups.

If anyone has ever had the same kind of issue, any input will be welcome. Thanks!

Hi Steevo. Thanks for sharing. I haven’t heard the term “stratitis” before but unwanted harmonics and frequencies are common. It’s never happened to me but I’m sure it depends on the guitar and perhaps the pickups as well. Lowering the pickups too much is never a good idea, as you’ll lose much of their character and dynamics. The magnetic pull can cause a lot buzz, strange harmonics and even choked sustain and the only way to reduce it is to adjust the string and pickup height. Still, and again, this is not typical for all Strats but it do occur on some guitars.

I had the same situation mostly with my ’96 Fender having a CS69 on the neck position. I kept bringing down the neck pick up but my Fender repair guy brought down the middle pick up position instead. It sounds less stratitis coming out, and less of unusual fast decay on some frets closer to the body. The magnets on G and D string positions are really high on CS69 and perhaps it is more suitable for vintage neck that has more curvature (7.25″ radius i.e. higher point for the G and D string position). On this guitar with 9.5″ radius neck, bringing the pickup too low makes the high E string has too weak signal, and generally make the B and high E string sounds a bit too thin. I guess if the neck switching is an option, one way to find out whether it could have a difference in shifting those weird overtones and fast decay is to also change the neck to see if that makes a difference. I have an older guitar with the vintage radius (replica of old strat with neck relief adjustment screw in the body side). Once I have money to re-dress the frets on that vintage neck, I will attempt to try it with my ’96 strat. Many of these weird things are only magnified when using compressed blown out signals. A lot of repair people only test the instrument with sort of clean and not so compressed tones so they don’t even notice the magnitude of the issue.

Hi again Bjorn I am seriously thinking about getting an eq pedal to give me greater versatility and particularly to fatten up my cleans and some solo tones for other types of music on my passive pick up strat. Having been very disappointed with the Boss GE7 coloring the tone too much even when off I am wary, the mxr looked to be a possible but this has hard wire bypass which can colour the tone too. The Moore Eq looks to be great even though it only has five sliders. Do you have any experience or knowledge of this pedal. The Moore Flanger i have is great! Once again I thank you for your time and knowledge.

Thanks for your input Bjorn I didn’t like the tone coloring when the Boss GE7 was off (bypass position) Its a shame someone doesn’t come up with an EXG and SPC pedal to work with standard Passive pickups! I am coming to the conclusion that generally I must prefer the tones of low out put pickups with their transparency but would like that 400 Hz low mid boost for some things and to warm up some chord stuff. I will keep experimenting, thanks again.

Hi Bjorn,
Thanks for great tips on pickups. I was determined to buy a 69 custom shop pick ups and ask the repair shop to put them in my 96 American Standard Fender Strat for me. They are authorized Fender repair techs in Calgary, Alberta, Canada and they didn’t recommend doing that. They said 69 pickups are noisy. They are going to give me some recommendations in near future but I thought I pick your brain in this regard as well. So which other alternative can give that kind of flavor of tone and response for most of non-EMG Gilmour tones with a bit higher output and less noise? The same sort of bell-like and glassy highs. My factory 96 Fender pickups sound a bit conservative and bland, and lack some of the high frequency content and mid range definition. I’m hoping I can find pick ups that are a bit more open sounding with a bit more dynamic range and expression while having low enough noise floor and moderate output (higher than 69 but without sacrificing the dynamics and bloom), with enough twanginess but not too much of it either. I think I was listening to demos of Fender 50s and 54s and they sounded as if the high frequencies and twanginess were a bit over the top.
Thanks a lot.

Well, it all comes down to taste really. I don’t think the store does you a favour by dismissing the pickups and try to make you buy something else. They should have said “sure, that’s a great idea if you want classic, late 60s Fender tones like Hendrix and Gilmour but mind that they can be a tad noisy… like all vintage style passive single coils”. The EMGs and other so-called noiseless pickups are great but they sound different. There are lots of ways to effectively avoid noise with passive single coils as you can read about here. Just my two cents… :)

I must be getting somewhere! I changed back to my passive and sll5 pick ups then missed the fatness of the EMG!! I have now reinstalled the EMG s and made a discovery that has opened things up for me. I spent a long time plugged straight into the amp as you always recommend to start and found the base tone I was happy with after a lot of height adjustment on the EMG pickups – it made a lot of difference to me. I have now found that it becomes a learned skill to know how to adjust the controls SPC, EXG etc to obtain the tones i hear in my head I can now finally get a similar transparent tone like I had with my passive pick ups and get that nice biting fat tone for solo’s when I want it too. I am beginning to see that these EMG dg20 pickups give me much more versatility for my own sounds and not just Gilmour stuff. I also am becoming aware of the some times subtle effects of too much Presence, Bass, Treble or Mids, etc, etc which really helps. A long learning process I guess! Like you always say it all depends on what tones you want. Thanks for your help Bjorn.

Hi Bjorn I am still experimenting! Am I right in thinking that the Passive plus SLL5 combination would be better at getting the early Dave Gilmour tones & particularly that tone on the ON an Island solo and coming close to the fatter EMG tone than trying to acheive both with the EMGs.. I hope this makes sense what I am saying here. I have tried using a Boss G7 equaliser with the Passive pick ups to boost the low mids for that Emg tone but it sounded awful. The Boss G7 seemed to suck the tone out of the passive pick ups? Any and all advice is much appreciated. Oh btw I am really just a very keen bedroom level player at present using a mim classic 50 players Strat, Laney Cub, Boss CS3, Blackout Effectors Musket, BD2, Buffalo Power Booster, Ec lady Fanger, mxr chorus and delay. Once again I thank you for sharing your experience and knowledge you are saving me a lot of money that I could have wasted!!

Hi Bernie, how did you set the GE7? The circuit is notorious for sucking tone and for being noisy but the actual equalisation shouldn’t mess up your tone… unless you over did it :) The SSL5s has a lot of mid range so you need to be careful with the sliders on that GE7. Also, adding an EQ can simulate the DG20s to some extent, at least give you a bit more presence or scoop, but it won’t be just like having the EMGs obviously. Try raising the 400Hz band a tad and maybe a slight dip on the 3.2k and 6.4k bands and see how that works.

Hey Bjorn, how would a DiMarzio Area 61 in the bridge and two DiMarzio Area 58’s in the neck and middle work? They seem like they are comparable to the SSL-5 and Fat 50’s pickups but I wondered what you thought. They have that nice bluesy tone that would work well for Gilmour tones.

I’ve tried over a dozen strat setups and many more combinations in 20+ years of playing, but I always come back to the CS69/CS69/SSL-5 combo. It not only is the most gilmourish sound I’ve found, but it is also the strattiest strat that ever stratted. I just reinstalled them and it feels like coming home. Thanks as always, Bjorn for these pages that bring me back to my senses!

Hi bjorn After a year on the emg dg20 pickups I am missing that “something “I had with my single coils plus the ssl5 bridge combination. I reinstalled the passive pickups but I would like to be able to get somewhere near the fat Shine on tone with a clean tone on the neck pickup. Would an eq in the signal path somewhere help or isn’t it that simple. I guess i want the tone majic of the passive pick ups but with the option of a fuller fatter clean tone too.. hope you can advise me . Thanks for your time.

The best way to get a nice clean tone is to set your amp first and then, if needed, add an EQ, booster or compressor to further enhance it. Your amp should be the basis for all your tones so be sure to mainly focus on setting that up for the right tone. You might want to add an EQ and add a slight boost around 400Hz. A mild compressor will also tighten up the tone and add a bit of sustain.

Sorry, I didn’t read your first comment properly. No, the middle position sound very different from the bridge and you won’t get a similar sound just by placing the SSL5 there. It has more low end and less top. It’s a good match for a humbucker in the bridge though.

I’ve ended up with dimarzio area’67 neck, duncan ssl-5 middle and duncan jb bridge with auto-split in middle+bridge position. Lots of different sounds and 3 of 5 positions are almost dead silent. And I’m really impressed with Area’67 – great puckup

First of all thanks so much for putting this incredible tone resource together!! Really helps me find out what’s out there and how different pieces of gear compare. Awesome site!

I’m planning on modifying a 2014 American Standard Strat (maple neck, alder body, fat 50’s pickups) that I’ve never been totally happy with. Could be a particularly bright guitar, but I find the fat 50’s pickups sound a bit harsh with my set up, especially in the bridge (neck sounds pretty good though, but not really my taste). I’m primarily interested in getting a tone closer to the Animals/Wall era tones, and I’m thinking that the DiMarzio FS-1 or the Seymour Duncan SSl-5 in the bridge, and Fender Custom Shop 69’s in the middle/neck might be what I’m looking for judging by what I’ve read in the article and in the comments. Between the FS-1 and the SSL-5 which one is thicker and/or louder? I’m hearing a lot about the SSL-5 but not a lot about the FS-1, although for authenticity wouldn’t the FS-1 be closer to the 76-79 tones (since I believe it was used on the recordings and the SSL-5 didn’t show up until the subsequent Wall tour in 1980)? Between the FS-1 and the SSL-5 which do you think would get me closer to those late 70’s tones I’m looking for? Also would the Fender Custom Shop ’69 be a noticeable improvement over the fat 50’s in the middle and neck position?

Hi Andrew! You don’t mention any amp so baring in mind that you have an amp that provides the tones you want… The FS1 and SSL5 is very similar. The difference is just a nuance and whether you hear it or not depends on your amp and the pedals you use. I prefer the SSL5, it has a tad more mids and a slightly warmer tone, but again, we’re talking nuances. The CS69s, or similar late 60s pickups, have less mids compared to the Fat 50s, and they sound smoother and not as bright in the upper mid range. I think they go well with the SSL5 and the whole setup is great for David’s Black Strat tones from basically all eras.

Thanks for the reply and the advice! I use a Vox AC-15 (handwired) with Celestion greenback speakers in it. That seems to work pretty well in my small home studio setup. My signal path from guitar to amp usually looks like Boss CS-3 compressor, Dunlop JH-f1 Fuzz Face, EHX Little Big Muff, EHX Deluxe Electric Mistress, and TC Nova Delay. I ended up taking your advice on the SSL-5 (bridge) and CS69 (middle/neck) set up. Just got the new pickups installed and after some quick tweaking of pedal and amp settings I can hear a difference in tone that is much closer to the Black Strat tones I’ve been looking for!!! Turned a guitar I was never totally happy with into a dream! Couldn’t be happier! :)

I have a Mexican HSS strat, wich i love. It’s my first guitar. I like to upgrade this one to simular to the Gilmour signature one. Witch humbucker pick-up is the best replacement for the SSL-5 bridge pick-up?

I love all of Dave Gilmour’s tone from past to present especially his Live in Gdansk. My favourite solo tones are: Louder than words, Raise my rent, Comfortably numb especially in pulse, Live in Gdansk Echoes, A great day for freedomI, The Division Bell’s What do you want from me.

I have a few OD/Dist. pedals and would really like to detox.
I’m thinking of having a pedalboard with 6-8 pedals including 2-3 OD/DIST pedals maximum.

If you were in my shoes, which 2 or 3 of the pedals below would you choose, as best options, to get David’s solo tones for the above mentioned songs?

Hi Ardavan, you’ve got a lot of gain pedals there :) Obviously, I can’t tell you which to keep and not. Your taste and preference should be the judge of that. Personally, I’d keep the ones that has a bit of mids, since the AC4 has a fairly scooped tone. The Evo, TS and PD are somewhat similar and the Overdriver, BB and Crunch Box might also be overlapping each other. If you really want to detox, I’d keep the Muff, an overdrive and a booster.

I have just found out that you can download all of TC Flashback delay tones to the Alter Ego V2 plus as uoi know many other toneprints. At TC Electronics they say that the Alter Ego V2 and other models and also all Flashback models are actually the same pedal.
But they have told me that to downlowd the Flashback delay onto Alter ego I will have to downlowd the tones to my computer first and then load it to the pedal.
On the other hand you could download many great delay tones created by guitarists including Doug Aldritch, Steve Morse … so quick and simply using only your mobile phone.
This is great Bjorn isn’t it?

I have another question Bjorn. To get Dave Gilmour’s lead solo tones is it best to set my Vox AC4 C1 as clean as possible or slightly overdriven?

I haven’t tried that but I will definitely look into it :)
How an amp should be set depends on what tones you want, the amp’s character and what pickups and pedals you use with it. Setting the amp at the very edge of breakup is usually where the clean tone sound its best, with a fat and dynamic response. Try it and see how that works with your guitar and pedals :)

Hi Bjorn,
Thanks again for your reply.
What do you mean by “setting the amp at the very edge of break up”?
My amp has a volume and a gain knob.
I do not know what people mean by cranking the amp, is that putting the volume knob on maximum or the gain knobb or both.
On my amp even if I put the volume on max I would have to have the gain knob at about 9.00 o’clock to hear my guitar but if I put the gain knob to max it sounds pretty distorted and loud and if I even use overdrive and distortion pedals at that setting it will sound pretty horrible.
By the way why is this comment window getting smaller and smaller gradually? :-)
Is it OK to communicate and send comments and questions through your website?
Chears Bjorn
I really admire your knowledge, effort, guitar playing and skills and appreciate your advise and thank you once again for your time and your fantastic website.
You’re the best.

Hi! I haven’t noticed any issues with the comments field but I’ll look into it.
Usually, the gain is the volume for the pre-amp and the master, is the output volume. The more you drive the pre-gain, the more your amp will distort. The volume and headroom is produced by the output stage. Setting the gain low and the master high, will provide the cleanest tone but David often keep the preamps pretty hot, right before breaking into overdrive and the master volume to push the volume further.

Bjorn, I was just wondering, what telecaster set of pickups would you recommend? I know the black strat has always been at the fore front of tone for the majority of readers on the site. But I have always loved David’s workman Esquire since the pictures from the About Face. I was thinking of building my own Signature Esquire model in the near future and was interested on what your thoughts on Tele pickups might be. My apologies if this question has already been asked.

Hi Brooks! David’s “workmate” feature custom wound pickups by Seymour Duncan. There are no sources on what these might be but they were done sometime in the mid 70s and by the tone I would assume that they’re late 60s specs or perhaps a tad overwound around 6-7k. There are lots of different models out there in this category :)

I took your advice and put cs69’s + SSL5 in my new strat – love it!!
My old strat has cs fat ’50’s – nice, but the bridge pu is too harsh. What’s a nice bridge pu to combine with the Fat ’50’s, perhaps an SSL1?

The SSL1 would perhaps sound a bit bright and thin combined with the Fat 50s. Depends on your Strat and its tone. It might work very well too. You might want to check out the D Allen Voodoo Blues, which is a tad hotter than the CS69s but not nearly as hot as the SSL5.

Hello Bjorn, Ive got this Yamaha Pacifica 112V guitar, it has a humbucker in the bridge position, and two single coil in the middle and neck position. I was thinking of replacing the stock pickups with a JB SH-4 Seymour Duncan for the humbucker – and for the two single coil pickups I was thinking of either two identical SSL5, or one SSL5 and one cs69. What would you think of these combinations? Will it be too loud with two SSL5? Will it be too umbalanced if the middle was the cs69 and the neck was the SSL5? I am really not sure what to put in there… the only thing I don’t want to change is the JB SH-4 in the bridge. For the other two I need advice.

I haven’t tried that specific pickup configuration so I can’t really tell how the pickups blend but the JB SH-4 is fairly hot so I’d go for the SSL5 – at least for the middle position. Maybe a Fat 50s or TexMex in the neck. The 69 will have a noticeably lower output than the humbucker.

Thank you so much for another great article as always and congrats to the awesome new website.

I would really appreciate it if you would give me some advise in regards to my set up.

I have a MIM Fender Classic player, 50s strat with stock Fender American vintage pickups.
I have also already bought a Seymour Duncan SSL-5 bridge pickup and also a Fender custom Shop fat 50’s neck pickup.

What do you think I should do? What if I just replace the stock bridge and neck pickups and leave the stock middle pick up undisturbed?

Or is it better to use Fender Custom shop 69 on the neck instead of the fat 50s.

Is it important to change the stock pickups to CS69 at all?

I also love Stevie Ray voughn’s tone especially his neck pickup solo tones, can I get something similar to his neck pickup tone with a CS fat 50’s or CS 69 neck pickups.

Also would I have to copper shield the inside cavity of my strat for best result and tone?

What are the best options for me?

I only practice at home and in bedroom.
My amp is a VOX AC4 C1-BL, blue which is a 4 watt combo tube amp that is fairly loud for bedroom practice. I also have a Yamaha THR-10 practice amp.

As you can see I’ve bought many of my gear
only because of your recommendations, thank you very much.

Do you think I should detox my rig and downsize? In that case what pedals shall I leave out?

I do not have any modulation pedals but have a Korg pandora stomp which is a small multi effects processor.
Will that be ok for rotary, chorus, flanger, phaser etc…?

Also I’m thinking of buying the new and very reasonably priced Hotone Roto Rotary that’s had a good review by the TG Magazine as I really love David’s “What do you want from me”, Gdansk Another day for freedom, Raise my rent, comfortably numb, time, shine on, echos, on an island, the blue, marooned and endless river solos.

What do you think of the Hotone Roto, will that be good enough as my rotary stimulator as I really don’t wanna have a big bulky unit like for ex the Boss RT20.

I’ve tried to describe my rig and favourite tunes as thoroughly as possible for you.

I’m sorry about this long comment/question but I’d really appreciate your time and advise.

Hi Ardavan. Sorry for my late reply.
You have a lot of info and questions here but let me try to be brief…
I prefer the CS69s both for the neck and especially the middle. They have a nice punch and that bell-like top end that goes nicely for those early 70s tones. You don’t have to replace your pickups but I think you will notice a considerably more dynamic and responsive tone.
Shielding with copper might help eliminating some noise – if you have problems with that. Tonewise, it doesn’t do much. Perhaps roll off some top end due to a slight change in the impedance.
Whether or not you should detox the rig is entirely up to you. A good rule is to always have some though of the arrangement and placing of the pedals. Do you need all of them? Is it better to swap places on some? My first thought was that you have a lot of overdrives and distortions and I would perhaps consider one or two of them but again, if you use them then there’s no reason why you should take them off the board. You might want to consider a dedicated buffer though, to drive and balance the signal from the guitar to the amp.
I haven’t tried the Hotone so I can’t really tell.
Hope this helped :)

Hi Bjorn, I’m trying to decide on the CS 69&f50s /and the voodoo 69s , to go with my SSL5 I’m leaning towards the Voodoos, any thoughts? Also I had the pleasure of meeting “blackie” at GS in NYC yesterday I took some pics but I can’t seam to upload..anyway what a guitar! Its how the CS relics should look..I couldn’t believe it sold for close to a million bucks, I’m sure its more $ now.

Hi Bjorn, due to your review, I’ve installed the SSL-5 and Custom 69 in my old japanese Roadstar II Ibanez from 1986, with basswood body and maple/rosewood neck . I’ve compared to a Fender Gilmour Relic and I got almost the same sound from my Ibanez. It’d saved me a few thousand bucks.
Now, I’m gonna try another configuration to eliminate hum in pickup positions two and four. I’ll install a middle Custom fat 50 in the Middle position since it is reverse-wound. The output rating (Bass/Mid/Treble) from the custom 69 is 5/4/5 and from the custom fat 50 middle pickup is very close 5/3/5. Have you tried or heard anything like that? As soon as possible, I’ll let you know the results.

Always hard to answer questions like these because it always depends on what tones you want and how that guitar work with your amp and pedals. It might very well be that on a particular setup, a Les Paul with humbuckers would be the best choice for David’s tones. Anyway, your current setup is very versatile and if you like it I see no reason to change it. That being said, you might appreciate the slightly more vintage flavour of the CS69s and SSL5 :)

Hi Bjorn!
I am to buy a new Vintage Reissue Strat. Left hand models are the ’56 (alder/maple) and ’65 (alder/rosewood). Most likely the ’65 one, because Gilmourwise I like the tones on Dark side and WYWH most. The ’56 has caught my attention though, partly because of the thick V neck and it will be a tough decision! Still I ‘ll have to order one without even trying it, cause there’s no left model in stock.
1, I was wondering if you’ve ever tried Alnico 3 pickups, as the ones on the ’56. If so, do they work well with fuzz, boosters and other pedals? All videos show the classic 50s setup (Strat into Fender amp) and I can’t judge only by that. I play a Lionheart 5w, and I always liked British style amps better than Fenders.
2, Those Grey Bottom pickups on ’65 seem to be quite famous. They are Alnico 5, but I also have a spare DAllen Voodoo 69 set, have you got any clue how would they compare? If they are similar, I might sell them to get some extra money for the guitar.
Thanks!

Hi Dimitris! The differences between all vintage style pickups are minimal but noticeable. How much of a difference you will notice also depends on the guitar’s wood and resonance, your amp and pedals. Alnico 3 have a tad more mids and a more rounded high end, compared to the alnico 5s, which has a typically scooped tone. The increased mids, will probably work better on smaller amps and go nicely with fuzz pedals. I think the ones on the 65 will be similar to the D Allens.

Hi Bjorn
I have had the SSL 5 on the bridge for a while but I think mine must be defective: I get a lot more output out of my stock MIM bridge PU (6.5kOhm) and with my nkt-275 I get more saturation too with the stock PU. I have tried different heights and even re-did the internal wiring just to make sure.
Given that you have also this PU and an analogman nkt275 (I also have the bc109), do you reckon there’s something wrong here or this is ok?
Cheers

Regarding my SSL-5 pickup…….Is the pickup cover really supposed to sit on top of the pickup wires? also, there are 2 mounting screws and 2 small spacers that came with the pickup….I`m assuming the spacers go between the pickup cover and the bottom of the pickguard, but what about springs?…..should the SSL-5 have had a pair of pickup springs included in the package, or is the pickup mounted solid to the pickguard with no provision to adjust the height?

Well, I figured it out, the “spacers” that I thought were hard plastic are actually silicone tubing that act as a spring between the pickup and pickguard. I still don`t like the pickup cover sitting on top of the pickup wires and having the lower part of the pickup windings exposed because of the raised cover, but who am I to question Seymour….

I`m sure the cover is on correctly, and after looking at it some more I think it was meant to be this way. I have found someone else on the net that asked the same question but never found the answer….as far as I know. I`m thinking about cutting out a plastic spacer on my scroll saw to take up the space between the base plate and the cover. I did a Google image search and found a photo of the SSL-5 with the cover off showing the location of the lead wires, and another photo showing the cover on the pickup with the gap between the baseplate and cover.

Hello!
I really enjoy the single coil sound but the hum is killing me. I already tried do shield my guitar and get far from eletronic equipments, but it doesn’t work for me. I am thinking to buy the EHX Hum Debugger because they say it kills the hum but keeps the sound and the sustain.
Wich mechanics does David Gilmour use to prevent the noise? I never did some single noise from his songs, did you?
Sorry 4 mah bed englando.

Sorry for my late reply, Franklin. Buzz should be eliminated with shielding so I’m guessing you have problems with hum, which is hard to eliminate. A noise suppressor will work but regardless of the model you need to be careful with the settings. David doesn’t use any noise suppressors or gates and if you’ve ever seen him live, you’ll notice that there is a lot of noise coming from his guitar. However, good quality items throughout the chain and shielded cables and powering will get you far. It’s also a matter of mastering what ever issues you may have. Using a volume pedal to kill your guitar between songs, palm muting and turning away from the source is crucial.

Depends entirely on what tones you’re looking for. It’s not very versatile if you want a classic Strat tone but the humbucker bridge will give you a bit more power and bite. Alternatively, you could replace the humbucker with a (humbucker sized) P90, which will get you closer to a SSL5 kind of tone.

Hi Bjorn,
I have an issue I`m hoping you can advise me on……I have a MusicMan Silhouette I purchased new in 1993. It has the original HSH pickup configuration, but I`ve acquired a new SSS pickguard and will be installing CS69 pickups in the neck and middle positions and also a SSL-5 pickup in the bridge. The problem is, my Silhouette has a volume control and just one tone control. Should I add another tone control or leave it the way it is with only one tone control? I would have to have another pickguard made if i add another tone control, because I think the two controls on there now are too close together to squeeze in another one. I was thinking that I could have another pickguard made without holes for the volume and tone controls so I could drill them myself and put them where I want them.

For next step, I’d like to change the tuners. I am checking on the Fender website what Gilmour signature stratocaster has and they report: Vintage-Style.
I have seen from pictureson different sites that the tuners don’t report the brand Fender on each tuner.
do you know if they are:
Fender Vintage-Style Locking Guitar Tuning Machines or
Fender American Vintage StratocasterÂ®/TelecasterÂ® Tuning Machines or
Gotoh SD91 Vintage Style Locking

do you know it? Can you suggest, please?

Moreover do you think that I should be place in my effects chain first the P19 or the Plexidrive?

Hi Bjorn,
I have seen that Gotohs produce diffenrent tipe of SD91 Vintage Style:
1- Standard
2- SD91 MG (Magnum Lock) MG is a system that locks the strings
3 – SD91 HAPM HAP system holds a adjustle-height roller-post plus M that locks the strings. So is a combination of two systems.

The 3rd one seems too complicate for me. So cancelled by my choice.

But I am in balance between the standard and the 2nd with the interlocking system. could you support me based on you know-how?
Thanks a lot
regards
Sebastiano

I just saw that post, I ‘ve had some issues with my am strat too.
Before buying different style tuners than the ones your guitar has, check the tuner holes if they match. Some tuner busbings might be needed. Also you might need to drill new holes for the screws!

Hy Bjorn. First of all i want to say a couple of words of appreciation for the great job you’re doing. This web-site really is a boundless sourse of information for guitarist playinge in all styles of music and especially us Floyd fans. I thought you might suggest what Fender CS Texas Special pickups’ magnetic polarity is. I want to pair a set of these pickups with a humbucker,hoping to get a normal in-phaze hum-cancelling sound in the second position of a 5way strat switch (middle pickup+split coil of a humbucker)
Thanks.

Hi Bjorn, I have an American Special Strat. I installed CS 69 pickups into the guitar. It sounds great but if I am using any type of fuzz, I have to use an OD pedal after it. If I don’t, the guitar sounds sputtery and clipped. I am told that this is because the pickups are very low output. Did you find that this was the case with your CS 69’s?

Thanks!

[The pickups are low output with very little mid range, which can make fuzz pedals sound a bit thin. However, these are the pickups most Strat players used in the late 60s so it’s more a combination of what amp you’re using and how. Low output pickups may sound thin on smaller amps and low volume but crank them on a loud tube amp and they’ll sound huge. A booster after the fuzz is a way to compensate for some of the tone loss you get on typical bedroom setups. – Bjorn]

@Thierry, Texas Specials are wound reverse the normal direction of other Fender Vintage style pups, and while not super hot, the average vintage 60’s strat had around 5.8k, the Texas specials are : Neck, 6.2, Middle, 6.4, and Bridge is fairly hot at 7.6. They use #43 enamel coated wire. To many the best sounding vintage strat pups use #42 Formvar wire, but if you try to wind over about 6.2-6.5? The #42 becomes too large, so like the super hot SSL-5, and hotter FZ-1, they use a thinner wire to allow more windings. So, to answer your question: Texas Specials are hotter than any stock, vintage Strat pickup I know of, especially that 7.6k bridge pickup, but as far as all pickups go, they are considered low/medium output! Great pickups IMO!!!

Just curious! My understanding of Texas Specials, which I have a personal experience with owning an SRV Strat at one point, is that they are overwound and hence have a higher output, and they sound like it. They sound very full, dynamic and hot with greater upper mid-range and bass outputs with sparkling highs. And yet, I keep hearing from various players, especially on YouTube that the TS’s are low output and therefore require a higher volume setting on the amp to compensate. This to me is a contradiction. Can someone please chime-in and clear up this confusion?!

[Depends on what pickups you’re comparing them with. The TS are based on the 60s pickups, which are low output and very clean. The TS has a bit more mids and low end, making them sound bigger and slightly louder than the stock vintage 50s and 60s pickups. In comparison with more modern pickups however, they’re still in the low output category. – Bjorn]

I have a 2006 Eric Johnson Strat (maple fretboard). The bridge and neck seem good, although I’d like something a bit more “meaty” and I’d like more punch in the bridge. I’m considering SD SSL5 in the bridge, but it seems it could be too hot paired with the neck and middle EJ pickups. Also considering the David Allen Echoes set for this particular guitar.

Do you have experience with the EJ strats pickups and would the Echoes set be a significant change?

Glenn

[There will be a significant difference anyway. The SSL5 is very hot, while the EJ and neck and middle in the Echoes set are low output. Still, if you want something similar to David’s Black Strat tones then the hot bridge is kind of the point. It’s very versatile for rhythms and leads and the low output neck, sounds better for warm cleans and bluesy leads. – Bjorn]

at the end I found in USA a loaded pick guard (black) with installed a Fat50 – CS 69 – Seymour Duncan SSL5 and also with mini toggle to add the neck pick in combination with CS 69 and SSL5.
Last Friday a Guitar technician installed it on my Fender Strat MIN.
FANTASTIC! Gilmour Sound!
Thanks for your web site!
ciao

Hi bjorn
Just wanted to thank you for your help in helping me decide on the emg d20 pickups. They have given me the thicker/fuller sound I was looking for and still enable me to get close to vintage sounding too. i found that 4mm distance from the strings was best for me and through the correct use of the expander control I can get some nice straty tones still. The spc takes the tone towards humbucker-ish but with more something! The versatility of these two controls and the tones they produce once set up with my clean amp base tone is amazing! Well pleased – Thanks again.

I have been really enjoying your new album and I also voted. #3 is awesome.

I have a MIM FSR black strat. Alder body and maple neck. Plays nicely but was not crazy about the pick ups. I bought a SD SSL-5. I took the strings off and the pick guard. De soldered the old bridge pick up and installed the SD just the way the old pick up was. I put new strings on. Using GHS Boomers 10-48s. I had to use a new string from another pack because I cut it by mistake (I hate when that happens). Once it was all setup, I plugged in and played. Boy, it sounded bad. Either the pick up ws defected or I screwed something up. Not only that, my whammy bar was pulled all the way down. Ugh! I did some research. The SD doesn’t play well with the Fender pickups. You have to reverse the wires. I also learned about adjusting the screws for the claw. Never owned a Fender before. I pulled the guitar apart to start over. I figured since I had the pick guard off, i was going to do the Gilmour mod. I was a little nervous about drilling a hole. I reversed the wiring, installed the switch, and adjusted the claw. I didn’t trim the strings yet because I had already burned two packs and I was on my last one. I plugged in. BOOM! Big smile on my face. Sounded great. Switch worked well too. I like the sound of the bridge and neck pick ups together. Also, the whammy worked like it should. It was a great weekend of learning and moding. My wife is going away this so I sm going to have lots of time to try different settings on the strat and pedals.

Thank for all your advice and information.

Don – Maryland USA

[Hi Don! Thanks for your support and for sharing! Yep, the SSL5 needs to be reversed when you combine it with certain Fender pickups. Glad it worked out :) – Bjorn]

It says above that the higher the strings, the less the magnetic pull on the strings. Also says that lower string height will have more pull. The string playing height of the strings on the instrument have nothing to do with the pickup output. It is the pickup distance setting below the strings that determine the magnetic pull on the strings. That is what those screws on each end of the pickup are for besides pickup mounting : height adjustment of the pickup. I use only very low string action, and lowered pickups to match.

[Yep and that’s what it basically says… in regards to the string height alone. – Bjorn]

Happy new year Bjorn. You have been a great help in helping me find and understand everything guitar related and I am really happy with my Thames Weber speaker upgrade in my Laney cub12r. i am becoming increasingly aware that my Favorite Gilmour tones are from the Pulse, momentary lapse of reason, delicate sound of thunder and Division bell. I also write my own songs with my own tone being looked for! My guitar is a Mexican Classic players 50 strat with Seymour Duncan slll-5 in the bridge. Baring in mind, part of my pedal board consists of a Blackout Effectors Musket. Bd2, Dover Driver and Buffalo Power booster, my question is – I am seriously considering going for The emg d20 pickups. From what I can tell the emg Dg20 give a fuller sound overall and a greater degree of versatility! Do you think this is a worthwhile upgrade for me and could you elaborate a little on the pros and cons, if any, with these pickups as compared to what I have currently? Once again thanks for your time.

[Very sorry for my late reply, Bernie. The EMGs are indeed bigger sounding than the typical vintage output single coils. They’re quite essential to David’s 80s and 90s tones and I think you’ll be very pleased. My objection is that they sound a tad processed and perhaps not as dynamic as passive single coils. The active tones controls are very handy though. – Bjorn]

Which leads to another question. Reason I’m looking at the JB is because I’ve heard with high gain, PAF style pickups can get muddy and flabby in the bass. Any experience with this? Is it true? If not, I’ll probably go with a set of 59’s.

[Depends on your amp, what effects you use and also the overall character of the guitar. The PAFs lack a bit of mid range, which can make them sound flabby on amps that doesn’t have much mid range. I prefer PAFs but it’s a matter of taste. – Bjorn]

Thoughts on the Seymour Duncan JB humbucker? Ever tried one? If so, does it play well with a muff? And is it versatile? I like a lot of King Crimson (Basically all eras), Porcupine Tree (Also basically all eras), Vai (Zappa and early career), and of course, Floyd.

So I want versatility. I’m using an Epi LP Standard. What do you think?

[They have a fairly high output and my experience is that lower output pickups are better suited for getting a typical Gilmour tone from your Muff. With high output a Muff can sound a bit too aggressive. It also depends on the amp you intend to use with it. It might be a nice choice for Vai and other heavier tones but for Gilmour, Wilson etc I’d go for PAFs, ’59s or even P90s. – Bjorn]

It happens that in the 2nd position of my 5 way switch (which would combine middle + bridge pickups) the guitar sound is like very high-ranged, I kinda associate it with the sound you get when you have a wah-wah pedal all the way down, it mostly sounds like that, and not as conventional stratocaster 2nd position would sound, which would be more warmth and much less aggressive.

Before I had this set of pickups, I used to have a full Fender CS Classic 69 set with the same sound in that position. I’ve tried tons of combinations, even switching positions of the middle fat 50’s pickup with the neck classic 69.

The truth is that I can’t get my strat to sound more like a classic strat in that position.

I’d like to know if you have any idea about why is this happening? Is it something about the pickups or could be related to something else like pots, capacitor, wiring, etc? (I’m using 250k pots)

Awesome site by the way, greetings from Venezuela!

[Hi Daniel. I’m no expert on electronics but my first thought is that you may have wired the SSL5 the wrong way. That will cause a hollow, thin Tele-like tone in that position. But it doesn’t seem that that’s the issue… I don’t know. Perhaps it’s the guitar or the amp that’s reflecting some strange frequencies when you use that combo…? Shouldn’t be any reason why a pot or cap would cause any issues but I’d take the guitar to a local tech and let him have a look. – Bjorn]

after reading your reviews about pickups i decide to buy “only neck” pickup for MIJ strat,
i also have dimarzio dp151 pickup in “bridge pickup” in its sound is really awesome.
if i want to get gilmour’s modern era with fat and high gain tones and also with nice clean tones, and similar to your guitar tone in airbag’s “Call Me Back” guitar solo, which “neck pickup” you recommend to me:

Another important subject that i want to suggest to you, “please, please, please” create “gilmourish forum”
that we could easily ask our questions from you and other users and other user shares their experiments that we could learn from them…
thank you so much my friend

Hi bjorn.
On my strat i have a seymour duncan antiquity texas hot on the neck position. It works very well, sound like a fat 50’s fender pickup, and match very well with a comp (mine is the custom comp mxr) for the solo of another break in the wall for example, even if it’s the only (i think) solo that david plays with a Les Paul. For the middle position i have the seymour duncan antiquity 2 surf rp/rw and for the bridge position the antiquity2 custom bridge with a higher output level.
This last pickup match very well with my electronic orange banana boost and my costalab custom muff, for play time or other songs of this period.
I have a boss dd2, but i would like to choose an analog delay. I will try the catalinbread echorec and the strymon el capistan by the corner shop, but i would like to try the replica and the flex delay too.
Hope that i’m not wrong about the pickups, and thank you for your site.

[Not sure if I got the question here but your setup and pickups looks great :) – Bjorn]

Hey Bjorn, i sent you a message in july asking what was the closest tele bridge pickup to the S.Duncan SSL-5, you told me there was one in their range and i should ask them. After 4 emails i still have no answer, so please please Bjorn help me x)

[They don’t offer a Tele equivalent to the SSL5 but the Hot Rail, Hot Lead and Quarter Pound are similar sounding… although slightly hotter. I haven’t investigated other brands but perhaps there are closer matches out there. Another alternative is to contact a maker, like Dave Allen, and ask them to make a custom wound pickup for you. – Bjorn]

I just bought a Squirt vintage modified 70s strat. My first guitar in many moons. While not dissatisfied with the stock SD Design pups, I hate the noise and always have. It’s like nails on a chalkboard to me. I know I will have to sacrifice some tone but for my own sanity, which is fragile to begin with, I really need some kind of noiseless pup. Gilmour has always had my favorite strat tone. I was looking at the SD STK S6 for the bridge. Any thoughts on the neck and middle choice? I was leaning towards the SD STK S4. I welcome the peanut gallery thoughts too. Thanks in advance and keep up the great work with the site!

[I don’t really have that much experience with noiseless pickups. The ones I’ve tried, and this is a common issue, sound a bit too dark and almost processed. The EMGs are OK but you really need to engage the active tone controls for them to sound good, I think. Keith here will have something to say about Lindy Fralins, I’m sure… Keith? – Bjorn]

Hi Bjorn,
Can a pickup booster pedal be placed right after a dedicated buffer unit in a chain?
Ps: one of my previous questions is still witting your answer. Would be great if you could answer that please.

[A pickup booster should be placed right after the guitar, i.e. first in chain. This for it to be able to interact with the tone and dynamics of the pickups. You can place it later in the chain as well but you will notice a less dynamic effect. – Bjorn]

What do you think about having as bridge pickup a Duncan SSL5, as middle a Dimarzio Area 67 and for the neck pickup a Fender custom shop fat 50’s? Would these three make a good set? I’m not sure the middle and neck.

HI Bjorn,
first I’d like to say thanks for alll your support and for the great work you are doing and the passion you put in.
I have already “bored” you in the last months :-) and now my pedal board is almost complete I remind you my “tools”
Stratocaster MIM (all original) â€“ Boss CS2 â€“ Skreddy p19 â€“ Wampler Plexidrive â€“ Choruslab / ElecLady â€“ TC flashback â€“ Laney Cub 12R Combo.
As you suggest in the next future I’d like to buy also a Buffalo Evolution.
I’d like also to start to improve my Stratocaster made in Mexico, I must say I am quite happy about the tone I am getting now but anyway I am sure there are some room to improve.
Can you suggest what you ‘d do if you was me which pick up, tremolo, and ……. you’d buy?
Thanks a lot in advance
Sebastiano

[If you like the way to guitar plays and sound then there’s really no need to upgrade it. I’d rather spend the money on upgrading cables and power supply. Still, if you really feel the need, then I really like the late 60s pickups. They sound more vintage than the stock MIMs and they also blend really well with pedals. My favourites are the D Allen Voodoo 69s. Place a Duncan SSL5 in the bridge and you have the Black Strat tone. I’d also upgrade the tremolo system to Callaham. Check out their site and find a suitable model. – Bjorn]

I see a few posts back that Nato is talking about swapping out his Vintage Noiseless pups for some CS69’s or SSL-1’s with the SSL-5 in the bridge. Have you tried the Vintage Noiseless pups from Fender and can you offer your take on tone comparison between them and the CS69’s and SSL-1’s?

Thank you for your response Bjorn, I have bookmarked your site and will send any questions I have your way your opinion is very much respected and appreciated. I have played guitar for awhile, and this will probably sound dumb, but I have never tinkered with setting up a guitar so I went to the Fender webpage and looked up the specs and the only part of the setup I couldn’t find that applied to the Squier VM was the pickup setting. They had three choices of pup sttings I believe they were Fender standard, vintage and Texas specials so what I did was set the neck and middle pickups to the vintage specs and set the bridge pup according to the Texas because the Duncan bridge is wound for more output like the Texas specials, from there I tweeked them slightly as I listened through the amp. The set up had the pups way to low when I received the guitar and after the adjustments it sounds like a totally different guitar all together I am very happy with it but I still can’t wait for the day I have the money to buy the American Standard. Thanks so much for your input I am always running into issues that I am afraid to ask the folks at the dealerships because I never know if they are being straight with me or trying to talk me into spending more $$$ LOL. I am not mad at them though that is there job.

[Cheers, Michael :) Well, that’s their job and unfortunately many stores are more eager to sell rather than to inspire and make sure they have long lasting customer relations. Happy to help :) – Bjorn]

Hi Bjorn. I think you misread the question. I was asking bout the SSL-1s, not SSL-5, and the differences in tone in the SSL-1s versus the CS 69s.
The fat 50s could be a good option in the neck and mid too right? I wasn’t cosidering them before.

[Sorry. The SSL1 is slightly hotter compared to the 69s but it has a very similar tone. Transparent and scooped. The Fat 50s has a bit more kids. Very nice in the neck. Never tried in the middle. – Bjorn]

Hey friend.
I got a deluxe players strat, it has a set of Fender vintage noiseless pups with that switch that activates bridge pup with position 4 and 5.
I was considering changing pups to get a more classic strat tone and some David’s tones, so I thought about getting a full set of SD SSL-1s or Fender CS 69s, and then change the bridge to SSL-5.
Are there many differences in tone between the SSL-1s and the CS 69s? Wich one you think would fit best in this guitar? Thanks in advance.

[The CS69s has a typical vintage feel, with a low output and scooped mids. The SSL5 has a high output, sound darker and has more mids. – Bjorn]

I just purchased a Squier vintage modified Stratocaster and all in all I am pleased with it, I feel it was well worth the price. I have owned a couple of Mexican Strats the first was a 70’s replica I bought back in 2002 and I didn’t change anything and loved that guitar. Unfortunately later that decade the company I was working for went out of business along with much of the factories in my hometown and I got a loan at a pawnshop for it but because of money troubles and just a basic depression I let it go and now things are better and I am sick about leaving it there. And just within the last year I had a Mexican standard that I really liked also but it was stolen so this is why I ended up with the Squier which I am not ashamed of I really like the guitar and unlike the MIM’s I figure I am going to modify or swap the pups which are Duncans. My question is the MIM’s were made of alder and they seemed to get much better sustain whereas my new Squier is made of Basswood which seems to be lighter I may be wrong but it feels that way to me. Do you have any suggestions of what kind of pickups would work with this type of wood to get more of a singing clear sustain opposed to a bit of a broken up distorted sound. I am playing through a VOX Valvetronix 20 watt combo which has a power knob that can be set at 30 watts which helps with the getting a fuller tone even when playing at low volume. Any suggestions will be respectfully noted.

[Thanks for sharing, Michael! The difference between alder and basswood alone isn’t that big. I have basswood in many of my Strats and prefer it over alder actually. It has a bit more character I think and there’s nothing wrong with the sustain. It’s all about taste but also the fact that the Squiers are cheaper for a reason. They’re great guitars but they probably don’t have the same wood quality as the more expensive ones. You probably need to go through more guitars than usual to find a really nice one. Any pickups would do but since I haven’t actually played your guitar it’s hard to tell which model would be better than others. – Bjorn]

Hey bjorn!
do you know if you can install an sl5 in the bridge position of telecaster or a similar pickup that would work in the tele bridge? And also a pickup for the tele neck position that would help cover davids tone ? Great website keep up the good work ;)

thanks a lot! Axel , Finland

[I think Duncan has a similar model for Teles. Check out their page. I had a custom wound SSL5 that I had made for my Tele at one point but it made a nasty feedback. Teles doesn’t handle high output pickups that well. – Bjorn]

I have Washburn Nuno Bettencourt N1 guitar. Summary of Specification for N1 PICKUPS: Washburn neck pickup and Washburn Bridge pickup( Washburn 621/623 humbuckers) PICKUP CONFIGURATION: H / H CONTROLS: 1 Volume with push pull (to select as single coil pickup) PICKUP SELECTOR: 3 way toggle.
t has two Humbuckers which can be selected as two single coil as pull/push button. What Humbuckers pickups do you suggest which i can use as both Humbuckers as well as two single coil pickup? I would like to get single coils sound keeping in mind David’s sound.

Hello! Ive always been a fan of mahogany body guitars and i was wondering what you think of them for a strat, either with a mahogany or maple neck, and with the cs69/ssl5 combo. Some people say its too “dark” sounding. whats your 2 cents?

[I haven’t tried that so I really can’t tell. Mahogany tends to be dark but I’ve no idea how that would sound with a Strat contour and maple neck. – Bjorn]

I’ve been visiting your site for some years now and really wanted to thank you for everything you have provided. I’m looking into swapping out the stock pickups on my American Strat and was thinking of a combo of a CS 54 in the Neck, a CS 69 in the middle, and either a Seymour Duncan SSL5 or Dimarzio FS1 in the bridge. My favorite tones for Gilmour are those on Obscured by Clouds and Animals, and I really enjoy his clean tones on The Division Bell. What do you think of this pickup combination? Do you think the SSL5 would be more versatile for capturing these tones over the FS1?

[Hi John! Thanks for your kind words :) Seems like a very nice combo. The FS1 and SSL5 is very similar. The FS1 is perhaps a tad more aggressive but both cover the period perfectly. – Bjorn]

Hi Bjorn,
first of all thanks for this amazing website ! I play an Fender Pawn Shop Mustang Special and ask myself if I should replace the stock humbuckers which sound quite dull and undefined with the Seymour Duncan Phat Cats to give it a more singlecoily sound with more brightness and definition. I always liked the sound of P90s so what do you think ?

[I would assume so. I’ve replaced hunbuckers with Phat Cats with great success but it depends on the guitar and how well it can handle the pickups. – Bjorn]

@Roger, the SSL-1 was a specially wound one for David. It is what became the SSL-5, so it’s basically the same pickup. However, I tend to disagree with using active pickups. Maybe it’s my really sensitive, ( nit to be confused with educated) ears, but I hear a very modern sound whenever I hear those RedStrats, and think truly vintage pickups are better all the way around. The right pedal will give you all the punch, and aggresiveness you need. EXAMPLE : When DG started using the pups from the ’71 Bullet truss Strat, they were lower output than even CS 69s, a CS 69, or a vintage 1969 Fender Strat pickup is approximately 5.8k output, and around 7800 winds of #42 Formvar, while those pups from the bullet, that DG swore by for many years, ( only recently taking the neck and middle out,( by recent, I mean about the time Fender gave him his 69’s), those ’71s are only 5.3-.5.5 k and about 7200? Maybe 7500, I can’t remember at the moment, but the point being, that most everything you heard from the black Strat between â€™71, and when he went to the FS-1, were low output CBS made Fender pickups, that didnâ€™t even use the formvar wire most â€œVintage Fendee pups used, instead they used plain enamel wire, and staggard poles that instead of being flat on the bottom, the poles were all the same length, vut staggerd top and bottom. The examples Iâ€™ve seen are generally between 5.2-5.5, and like I said, CS;69, and their original kate â€™60s grandfathers were about 5.8k output. I find that at 6.0 N 6.0 RWRP M, 6.2 B, are a perfectly balanced set, (Fralin Vintage Hots), and are perfectly capable of producing the best of Davidâ€™s tones, depending on the amp, and the pedals used. Iâ€™m not going to go into my usual salespitch bout Fralins, as no one will take my word for it, and I will eventually get a set to Bjorn for review, but the whole point of this very long post is, a good set of vintage Fender style pickups cannot be bested IMO, and most of the tones he got from 71-76, were on a weak set of CBS Gray Bottom, low output â€™71 Strat pups, and either â€™50â€²s, , or â€™60â€²s Fender RIs, or the many clones available, ie D. Allen, CS-69, Fat 50â€²s, or my beloved Fralin Vintage hots, will cover any DG tone with warmth, and balance!
Peace, Keith

Hi Bjorn I have a mim fender strat and want to change the stock pickups in them. I want to have a SD ssl-5 for a bridge pickup, and I’m thinking of cs69 or Texas specials for neck and middle. What would you suggest would be best for a more current black strat sound such as on an island?

Hi. I sold my fender stratocaster many moons ago and have a Gibson les paul but I miss my emg dg20 pickups. Can I fit them to a Gibson body and what issues am I likely to encounter. Thanks x

[Ahâ€¦ for one, the size and the fact that you probably would need to remove a good chunk of wood to make the middle pickup :) Other than thatâ€¦ I don’t know. Why bother? If you have a Les Paul then a nice pair of PAF’s or P90s would really be the closest matchâ€¦ or EMG H, which is a single coil in a humbucker enclosure. – Bjorn]

I imagine if Gilmour releases another album this or maybe next year and uses a black strat with a totally different setup, with other pickups… HAHAHA.. a lot of people, just like me, trying to change everything again! 8^)) Taylor on his book specifies that Gilmour was trying to get more punch on bridge position and tried the dimarzio, but he thought that it show no significant difference and started to use the duncan ssl-1… I wonder why this models is not used on the Fender Gilmour signature model, but they installed the ssl-5 instead… maybe “ears” are responsible for this fact… cheers.

Two weeks ago, I bought a second-hand Laney L20 head with a Masrhall Haze matching cab. Really happy having read about this amp, on gilmourish!
But something was missing. I had my great germanium fuzz (which I gave away to get an Analogman BC109), but my American strat has a set of Samarium Cobalt Noiseless PUs. To me it sounds really bad. Not like a Strat. Acoustically it’s really good, but when you plug into any amp, loses all of it’s beauty. Kinda flat, no soul in it. Both clean and distorted tones. Do you have any experience with these pickups?
So, I think of replacing them with a set of Fender CS 69’s. Although I ‘d like to try other brands too, in Greece they ‘re not available. How would you compare them to D’Allen VOODOO 69’s?
p.s. After some loooong conversations with friends last days, I think we, guitarists, are only trying to replicate tones and sounds by other guitarists (let’s say David Gilmour) we love and we miss the point of using them as tools and as a reference to express ourselves and say and play for our thoughts, feelings and motives in life.

[Hi! Good point. Replicating a special tone is part of the fun but learning how to express yourself on the instrument and using effects and different amps and guitar to find your voice is much more rewarding. I’ve never tried the Samarium but on a general note… the issue with most noiseless pickups is that they lack the top end and that bell-like chime of the passive single coils and the vintage ones in particular. It depends on what tones you want really. If you want classic single coil tones then stay away from noiseless and active pickups. If you want hotter output and pickups suited for modern tones, rock and metal, then they’re a very good option. Between all the late 60s models that I’ve played, the Voodoo 69s are the most dynamic and open sounding. – Bjorn]

Hi, Bjorn.
I recently got a Fender strat (54 model, CIJ 1997-1998). I don’t know what pickups came with it, they’re originals, but do you think it will sound better with a TEX-MEX trio on it? Thanks as always.

[Those mid 90s CIJs were equipped with none-specific 50s style pickups, I think. Mine was at least. The TexMex pickups has a higher output, more mids and an overall darker tone. I like them but they’re very different from what you already have. – Bjorn]

Hi Bjorn!
I recently bought a new black Fender Stratocaster American Vintage 57. Would you recommend to change the pickups for David’s tone? At least the bridge pickup with the Seymour Duncan SSL-5?
Kind regards!

[It’s not a must. The stock pickups are great but personally I’d replace them for either CS69s or an SSL5 in the bridge :) – Bjorn]

Wanted to see if any Fender custom shop DG NOS model owners experience significant Buzz with these guitars? I have owned mine (built in 2008) for about a year and a half and absolutely love the tones out of this guitar; in particular with the pickup selector in the bridge position and the mini switch engaged so all three pickups are engaged at once. Unbelievable magic!! The only issue I have is with Buzz, and it is equally noisy in all pickup selector positions. Fender says it is normal but wanted to see if others are hearing the same; obviously increased with effects in the system (cornish, butler, boss, Arion, etc). Thanks so much for providing such a valuable resource for DG fans!
Rob

Given that I’ve never replaced pickups, I have some very basic (and maybe silly) questions…
– Is it possible to install single coil pickups on that guitar?
– If not, do you have any advise about pickups for that guitar that may approach Gilmour’s tones?

As always, thanks in advance and congrats for maintaining this great site.

[It is possible but it would require some heavy modifications, so the answer is really no. But, you can replace the humbuckers with a pair of P90s in a humbucker casing. The P90s are single coils but wound very hot for a tone that’s right between a hot single coil and a mid 50s humbucker. Works great for David’s tones. Check out the Seymour Duncan Phat Cats :) – Bjorn]

I am new to this electric guitar stuff…just recently bought a used Fender American Deluxe Strat HSS and a Fender Mustang III amp. The Strat is stock-no modifications done. I am a huge DG fan (thats why I’m at this site). What can I expect from my rig at the moment for getting “Gilmourish” in sound/tone? or will I need to upgrade things? I’m trying to replicate the sounds from “dark side of the moon” and the “Mother” solo. The amp is a bit overwhelming and has all these effects that I can mess with using the Fuse software. Do I have any hope of achieving these sounds/tones with what I have currently? Any thoughts?

[Hi Ralph! The guitar and amp alone should be able to give you a nice basis for your Gilmour tones. Check out this feature for some amp setup tips. As for the effects, I don’t have any experience with setting up a Mustang so I can’t really give you any pointers. I’m sure it’s possible to set it up for some very nice Gilmour sounds. Anyone else here have experience with this model? – Bjorn]

Hi Chris and Bjorn, i can confirm the darker tone with my SSL 5 too. I have installed one in the Bridge Position of a Blade RH-4 Strat and the crystal clear Highs are some sort of damped now, but as Chris said, more Power for Lead tones is also nice.
I also had installed two other SSL 5 in a selfmade Strat Project some Years ago, and had installed it back then in the Middle and Neck Positions!!!, man that sounded fat, but, not very bright anymore……..

I own a 2009 American Standard Strat too, still with its Stock Pickups, which were called back then “American Standard Pickups” with following specs according to Fender Support answer:

“They are close to the output of the Custom Shop 69’s but with a hotter bridge.”

And this Guitar sounds bright enough, but i have sometimes the feeling that i have to “fight” a little bit more for some sustaining lead tones compared to the SSL 5 one, whose tones will come out and stay a bit easier, but that is just my opinion…..

Another Question to you, Bjorn. May i ask you for your opinion about if there is a “big” Sounddifference between these 2009 American Standard Strat Pickups, and a 69 or Fat 50 like Custom Shop one??? I only need to know it for the Neck and Middle Positions, or are these American Standard Stock Pickups very close (enough) to the Customshop ones???? And if not, maybe you can describe me where the most important tone difference lies, like: Bass, Middle, Treble, Bell-like, Glassy, round, soft tone, smoother response, better attack….. and so on…. And…Thank you again for this nice, informative and helpful Website!!!

[The SSL5 are darker sounding than most single coils because they have more mid range and less treble. It’s how the pickup was designed. The more wounds with the thread, the higher the output and the less top. Based on the specs alone, it looks like the pickups you got are very close to the 69s, with a similar Texas Special in the bridge. – Bjorn]

Hi Bjorn, quick question regarding the SSL5. I finally got one not too long ago and after installing and playing with it for a while I had a little bit of a feeling it might not be for me and perhaps I needed something in between the CS69 in the Bridge and the SSL5. Maybe a Texas Special. The problem I had was I sort of lost my pristine cleans in the bridge position. In love with the lead tones though so I was hesitant to swap it back. Then after some more time getting to know my new setup, I started going to the middle pickup which I never would normally do and found that I now have a much more versatile strat. I have my cleans in the middle position, great neck sound and then for that screaming smooth lead, I can go to the SSL5 bridge. Or a gritty bridge if the amp is more on the clean side. Then watching Live at Gandske, I noticed Gilmour seems to do the same. On the clean stuff he seems to have the selector in the middle or bridge. So I ask, is this basically what I can expect, what you see with your setup, and I have indeed installed my Duncan correctly? It most certainly is a keeper and now that Iâ€™ve adapted the configuration to my playing Iâ€™m loving my strat even more. I can also dial the volume back and clean it up, its just not as bright as I was use to. Maybe other users can chime as well. Iâ€™d certainly like to hear their feedbackâ€¦ what would rock and roll be without feedback.

Best regards and thanks for keeping this site going. One of the best websites on the grid.

[Hi Chris! The SSL5 has a lot of mid range, which can appear not as clean as a lower output 69 or similar. It certainly isn’t as transparent. It’s a matter of taste and either yu like it or not. One option is to go for the tapped version or the D Allen Echoes, which allows you to swap between the SSL5 and a slightly overwound 69 by a push on the tone knob. That’ll give you the best of both worlds :) – Bjorn]

Bjorn, question for you about the Seymour Duncan ssl-5: Is it better than or about the same as the DiMarzio fs-1? I have looked everywhere for a comparison but I haven’t found proof that one is better than the other. Any adivce? FWIW I have ssl-1’s in all positions right now, but don’t know how the DiMarzio will mix in.

[They’re very similar. The FS1 is a tad hotter but not a huge difference. – Bjorn]

Bjorn – greetings from the US. fantastic job on the site! I’ve currently got an SSL-5 in the bridge, a Fat 50’s in the middle, and an SSL-1 in the neck. I’m swapping out the middle pickup and replacing it with a CS 69 this week, and was considering swapping the neck pickup as well.

How do you feel about the dimarzio FS-1 in the neck? i believe David used it for a bridge pickup before he switched to the Duncan – but I’ve read that Mark Knopfler actually used one in the neck. The point for me is that I’d like something a bit hotter than the SSL-1 I have now, and was considering going for an FS-1 in the neck. Ultimately it would be FS-1 in the neck, CS 69 middle, SSL-5 in the bridge. i will be running the black strat mod as well, so I will have access all 7 pickup combinations.

have you experimented with the dimarzio fs-1 at all? have any opinions on the pickup in general?

thank you!

[I’ve only tried the FS1 in the bridge position so I have no idea how it works out in the neck. Personally I prefer lower output pickups for the neck. It just sounds better to my ears and if I want something hotter I swap for a P90 or PAF loaded guitar. I’d be curious to know how it works out :) – Bjorn]

Just saw this, very very late. No, my issue was when they put the leads on the middle pup, they accidently wired the black and white wires like a normally wound pickup, so it was out of phase. They simply reversed them at the pickup, and second position is quack city!

Thanks for the website it has always been a big help to me. I have been a long time follower but this is the first time I have posted.

I have been out of playing guitar for the last few years but some friends of mine whom I used to play with have talked me out of retirement. I had sold off most of my stuff except for several pieces of some project guitars I had laying around the house.

Right now I’m putting together a parts guitar to get some rehearsals going but I had a couple of questions for you and the readers of the website. I was working on my own Gilmour pickup setup, I had purchased on a whim last year a SSL-1C-DG pickup from stratcat.biz. I also recently purchased a loaded Gilmour Style – 7 position pickguard from HD Custom Guitar supply. It has the Fat 50s, Custom 69, and SSL-5 pickups installed as well as the toggle switch to add the neck pickup. My plan is to replace the SSL-5 with the DG pickup. Also I’m going to add the Callaham full alumn. pickguard and sozo capacitor.

I was also thinking about adding the Callaham Base Plate to the bridge pickup but do you guys think this will ruin or enhance the bridge pickup?

Also not related to pickups but this is a hardtail Robert Cray body, and I was thinking of using the Graph Tech String saver saddles to a Callaham bridge? What do you think of its effects on tone?

One last question, after I finish this guitar I’m going to get back on a relic strat I have been wanting to finish. I have an MJ Tele neck and body. I was thinking of adding the Callaham Prewired pickguard assembly with Fralin H/SRV Specials. Any thoughts on those pickups?

My previous guitar I was using was a 2005 EJ Strat with an SSL-5 in the bridge position. Loved that guitar, should have never let it get away. Actually when I bought that guitar I was looking for a 57/62 Vintage strat that I was going to modify using your recommendations from the website. I thought is was a 57 reissue when they handed it to me, but it was so light I knew something was wrong. (apologies for the shameless plug).

[Hi Brooks! Sorry for my late reply. The base plate will give you a bit more mids and a generally warmer tone but experience with is that it’s redundant with the SSL pickup. The pickup has a lot of mids and a considerably darker tone, compared to the neck and middle and the base plate can be bit of an overkillâ€¦ my opinion at least. Still, it will always depend on the overall sound and character of the guitar.
I don’t have experience with the with the Graph Techs so I can’t tell about that one. In regards to the Fralin question – I’ll leave that to Keith :) Cheers! – Bjorn]

Bjorn, and Edi, I had the same problem when I first brought Cymbaline home, and the middle pickup being RWRP had been hooked up with the leads reversed, so it could be either issue, just having been there, thought I’d throw my two cents in!
Peace, Keith

So, keep the CS69 connected “normally” (that being: white wires to the 5-way switch) and reverse the connections on the SSL5. Ok, I’ll pass the information to the guitar tech and see if it solves the issue…

I need your help… I just bought the neck and middle CS69 pickups for my Strat (already have a SSL5 in the bridge), but I think something’s wrong… I also asked to install the Gilmour Mod…

The thing is, in position 2 (Bridge+Middle), I hear a thin sound, with less volume than the other positions and with almost none bass and middle’s… I get a very trebbly sound and no “quack”… what can that be? Can you point out a wiring diagram?
I didn’t perform the instalation of the PU’s, it was a guitar tech…

Thanks!
Cheers from Portugal!

[Hi! You need to reverse the connections on the SSL5. Black wire to the switcher and the white wire to the volume pot. That should solve the issue :) – Bjorn]

Greetings. I just started learning to play again since I have had traumatic brain injuries and the guitar I have to work with is a MIM Deluxe Players Strat with noiseless pickups and the added butto to mix more pickup combinations. Since I cannot just runout and buy a new guitar anymore (living on disability) I will have to mod what I have. My medical issue, believe it or not, is driving me crazy because the sound I get with my strat is blah, and my brain screams no so I need to get closer to that DG sound. I want that Dark side, wish you were here, and maybe some of the wall sound. I have a couple of really good acoustics (Martin HD-28v & Gibson Hummingbird) which I am using to play an acoustic DG & PF sound but want to use my strat. I have a Vox AC15 a alnico blues amp. I’m probably asking a lot, but really if you had my medical issues you would be amazed at how the sound being too far off makes my brain scream stop. Crazy, I know, hope you never have to find out for yourself.
Thanks

[Sorry to hear about your health. Start by setting up your amp for a nice and warm clean tone, which will be the basis for your pedals. See this feature for some amp setup tips. I’m not sure what pedals you already got but you would need a few to be able to cover the tones. An overdrive, distortion and delay will get you far. I’d go for something versatile to be able to cover as much ground as possible without spending too much. Check out a Boss BD2 for those classic overdrive tones and a RAT distortion for all the lead tones, such as Time, Money, Comf Numb etc. It’s also worth checking out the Mooer clones of these pedals, which are a bit cheaper and sound great. Any delay would do but check out the TC Electronics Flashback. Great tones and several modes for different delay types. See this feature for some Dark Side tone tips and this one for Wish You Were Here tone tips. Hope this helps :) – Bjorn]

Hi Bjorn, thank you again on really helpful and interesting article. Wanted to ask you, what do you thing about GFS (Guitar Fetish) pickups. I would order Jimi Reverse Stagger Alnico Premium Pickup Set, because i don’t have money for any pickups you wrote here. Would the sound be close to any pickups here? What do you think?

[I’ve never tried the GFS pickups but from what I’ve read they’re well worth a try. The JH EXP seems like a good choice for those classic tones :) – Bjorn]

I play a Diamond Series 006 Deluxe with factory pickups. I like playing a variety of music from Metallica, Tom Petty, Country Music, early 90s, beck anything that sounds good with a guitar lol. Can u look up my guitar and give me advice on some pickups for it please ? It has two double single coils in it now. Thank you Terry

[I’m not familiar with the guitar model but I think it has two humbuckers right? If you want something versatile I’d go for some low output vintage style ones like a pair og Gibson PAF or perhaps a pair of Duncan Phat Cat P90s. – Bjorn]

[All pickups will give you a nice tone but it depends on your amp too. Personally I think the Texas Special are a bit too middy and they can sound a bit dark on some amps but if you ask me, and since I use them myself I think D Allen’s pikcups are awesome. Check out the Voodoo 69s :) – Bjorn]

Reading through the older posts after trying many, many different pickup combos. I second the recommendations on the Dimarzio Area/Virtual Vintage series pickups; they are the best noiseless I’ve tried (others: EMGs, Bill Lawrence, and Fender Vintage Noiseless).

I put a set of Virtual Vintage 54 Pro pickups in my ’50s Classic Player and they are fantastic. Comparable in sound to the D.Allen 54s but QUIET!

After that I started experimenting with the other Area pickups for my American Standard (rosewood board) and initially went with the 58/67/61 set. I didn’t really like the 58 as it seemed a bit muddy (much like the Texas Specials if you like those) and replaced the 58 with another 67. Hendrix Axis tones all day with a decent early ’60s bridge sound. I want a hotter bridge and a little more dirt in the neck so I think I’ll be putting a Chopper in the bridge, move the 61 to the neck, and keep the 67 in the middle. I’m guessing the 61/67/chopper setup will get me close to the Fat 50s/CS69/SSL-5 setup (which I was running for a while in my ’50s CP and liked).

I just wanted to give you an update and share some info with the followers. I had inquired about the 920D Gilmour wired pick guard assembly back in August. I really wanted to get one from Stratcat.biz, but I was looking to save some cash. Well I lucked out and came across a guy outside Dallas, where I live, that plays a lot of Floyd covers in his band. He also builds guitars from scratch and puts them together for artists around the area. He happened to be selling a MIM, that he dropped one of the Stratcat.biz assemblies in. I was able to sell my Fender FSR, with custom shop 69’s and for $150.00 out of pocket pick up his.
All I can say is wow! The pick up assembly is built to perfection. The look and the quality are fantastic. It has the shortened trem arm and green numbering on the nobs. The toggle looks great and is very solid. Plug it in and things get even better. The sound is fantastic. I can achieve all the tones I have been chasing. It is great for not only Floyd, but most anything I play. The neck is clean and bluesy and with that hot Duncan in the bridge, I can get all kinds of crunch.
I have been upgrading for over a year now on my Gilmour tone quest, with you site as my main guide. I started with a clasic vibe 60’s and have finally ended with the MIM, with the Stratcat.biz custom pick up assembly. Thank you for your guidance and all the info. For any of you readers, I highly recommend the mentioned pre wired pick up guard and pick ups. I will say that I am no kind of tech guy and so I was fortunate that the guy I bought it from really set this guitar up nicely for me.
Thank You Bjorn! Bring your band to Dallas, Tx and play for us sometime!!

Hello again my friend!
Yust a quick help here. Have you heard about the Seymour Duncan ssl-52?
If yes, what do you think of it in the neck, combined with the ssl- in the bridge and the fender cs 69 in the mid?
Thanks! Cheers

I have been investigating about the SSL1 California Staggered set, and doing some reading about also flat pup’s. They say for 7.5 is good the staggered pup’s and I recently bought a Fender American Special FSR Ash vintage blonde that haves 9.5.

I also read that this is no big a deal if it haves Alnico V magnets, but if its Alnico III, you will feel D-G Strings very loud compared to others strings (California 50’s set has Alnico V).

On the other hand, read that the SSL-1 California 50’s, when you play more than 1 string they have a little bit of “gain” and that you have to turn down the volume a little bit to get a really clean sound.

I am watching a CS69’s too, SSL5, and regarding of what I fond out about Staggered vs Flat, I will consider too the SSL2 or SSL1. I will buy too a Push/Pull DiMarzio Potentiometer for the bridge Pickup.

Thanks a lot, I forgot to say that my squier was made in 1984-1987, an that’s the reason I want to keep that one and change the pickups, I ‘m pretty sure I gonna use a combination of Duncan SL5, Fender CS69 and Fender CS fat 50â€²s Pickups, I have a VOX Night Train head and cab amp, what do you think about the combination of the pickups and the amp? do you have an idea about how would sound? I have a handmade clone of the Ram’s Head Big Muff Large Beaver to use with my guitar an the amp, I would like to find a nice tone like in the DSOM or in Animals albums. Thank you very much for answering and you have made a great job with all the information in the webpage..

[Hi Diego! The setup should make a nice combo with the Muff. Of course, it’s always down to how you set it up and in what environment you’re playing in but you should be able to get some nice tones :) – Bjorn]

Ahh, also, which late 60’s pickups would you recommend for David’s tone ? (love the have a cigar tone on your tele!! is really great)

[You mean late 60s for Tele? The DiMarzio True Velvet, although a bit hot, would go nicely. You may also want to check out the D Allen Blues Cat set, which is very close to the custom wounds that I got :) – Bjorn]

[David used the beaten Esquire for Animals and although it’s not confirmed what bridge pickup it feature I would assume that it’s no hotter than 7-7.5k. Possibly lower. In that case the True Velvet would be a good choice. – Bjorn]

Hi Bjorn! I’m pretty in love with your page, it’s been very useful for me, I’m from Mexico, I bought a few months ago a Squier Stratocaster just because it was black with black Pickguard, and I bought it to have it in my collection of guitars, somebody offered me a MIM Fender black strat around 500 US dollars, I bought my Squier for less than 200 dls, and searching in the net i found it was a Japan Made E series Squier, that supposes to be better than common squiers out there, so I decided to keep my squier and upgrade pickups an pots, and found on ebay a pickguard with Duncan SL5, Fender CS69 and Fender CS fat 50’s Pickups and with the mini toggle switch installed, but I’m not sure if that one would fit my squier, I’m pretty sure I’m willing to try that combination of pickups in my Strat, but I would love to have you opinion about the Japan Made Squier and the pickups I choose, and If that Pickguard will fit mi guitar… Thanks in advance

[I don’t know about new Japanese Squiers but the 80s and early 90s models are supposed to be very good. The current Squier models that you find in most shops today are very good. They’ve upgraded much of their lines and you get a lot for the buck. A few mods and you have a very nice guitar. The pickguard should fit but make sure it has the same screw hole configuration as your guitar :) – Bjorn]

What is a good pickup combo for a telecaster. Everything dave does on a tele sounds great so some thing close would be nice to have.

[He’s mostly using 50s Teles so I would imagine that a pair of NoCasters or some early 50s customs would do the job. Personally I prefer something a bit hotter, around 7-7.5k, which for me at least, works better with distortions etc. The Texas Specials or some custom wounds would be fitting. – Bjorn]

Hey Bjorn, hope you’ll post this. I just have to go on about the set of Lindy Fralins Adjustable steel poled pickups for Strats, and Teles. The magnets are placed flat like a P-90, so they are in essence tonally a P-90 style pickup, with the classic P-90sound, and heat. Knowing you are a big p-90 fan, I want to tell you what the set I put in my classic vibe Squier Thinline Tele, which had already had Vintage wire, CTS pots, can cap, and all-around great components installed, including a bone nut, but still had the Duncan Design stock pups, which were okay for a $250 guitar, but not one so well made, and modded. The really special pickup to me, is the 8k neck pickup, that will even get a bit of wonderful grind from a clean REEVES, when at full volume, but the slightest turn causes it to clean right up. Think DG’s ’59, with the PAF. I can reproduce the acoustic part of Dogs where he used that Tele live, perfectly, and it’s indescribable how full, and balanced the pickup is. The bridge, a respectfully hot 10.5 K makes the guitar sound more like a Tele, that the tele pups that came out, nice and twangy, with lots of bite, but without sounding spikey. If you’re into Teles, and P-90s, it’s a match made in heavenly sound, and when you choose, fury! I can promise you’re tele will still sound like a Tele, but if you choose, it can be a screaming banshee as well. And these are just one small part of the oldest small boutique pickup shops offerings. Lauded by his peers, and friends like Seymour Duncan, he can make every pickup you’d want, but with his magic touch thrown in. Ask DG, The Edge, and JeffBeck, just a few who have Fralins winding magic. The king of the Fender Vintage sound! IMO they cannot be bettered!
I don’t work for Fralin pickups, and receive zero for my praise
Peace, Keith. Take a look at Fralins site, just Google it.

@Operario, sorry I haven’t said more about the echorec, I’m self employed, and was out with an injury, and an illness back to back, so time has been limited. But here’s a quick review of the Echorec, AWESOME, THE BINSON IN A MXR CASE! The syncopated, overlapping delays are exactly what the Binson did so well, and every time I’ve messed with it, I’ve come up with several incredible riffs, it’s not the one trick pony I expected, but also is a great song writing tool. It took me all of five minutes, without the head settings in hand, to get the absolute perfect delay for the Echoes Arpeggio at the end of the space jam, right before it goes into the third verse, and it was dead on, just like pompeii, or meddle. It’s not too tinny, not muddy, just a very versatile 4 head delay sound. I love it, every Gilmourish guitarist should have one. If I could afford a real one, I’d still get this for gigging, because it’s no maintenance, and does the binson, and much more. I give it an 11!
Peace y’all, Keith

Hi Bjorn,
I took your advice and put some cs69’s in my Strat. They sound better than I could ever have imagined. Thank you so much. I also added a mod to turn the bridge pickup on in the other 4 positions. It’s subtle but is awesome.
If your ever interested in some other great pickups, you might look at Pete Biltoft’s Vintage Vibe Guitar Pickups. His website is kind of clunky but his product speaks for itself.

Just thought I would point out this web site. Guy does impeccable work, responds quickly. I got the full assembled pickguard for my black strat project. I went with the SSL 5. Just an FYI for people as a resource.

@Rick from Chicago, I believe I failed to mention that Lindy Fralin also makes his incredible P-90 in Strat sizes. This eliminates the need for “boating” the body, which changes a guitars tone when so much wood is removed. These are roughly 8k neck and middle, and 10.5 k bridge, and bolt right into a Strat, with no modification to the body, or pickguard. They sound incredible in my Tele, and I can only imagine how great they’d sound in a Strat. One thing Ice noticed about them is that with the amp just on the edge of breakup, these pickups at full volume overdrive nicely, but with just a very slight turn, clean right up. But man do they have balls. While one would think they would be really different sounding, I found that my tele has never sounded more like a Tele than these pickups produced, yet turn the volume to 10, and you’re approaching PAF territory. I know I’m
sounding like a Fralin employee, but I’m just a very excited customer who had the luck of having one of his first rewinds some 30+ years ago, and his knowledge talent, and notoriety have grown exponentially since it became his business instead of his hobby. Do yourself a favor, and talk to him, he is very accessible by phone, or email after 11 am edt Monday – Friday
sorry for the length, peace, Keith

Hey Bjorn, when you get though being called F’ing wrong by jerks, ans get caught up, check your FB messages, I was thinking about you about the time Roger was hitting the Stage, and later wrote that I hoped you had an anazing time! Glad you did!
Keith

Hey Bjorn, and everyone else. I have been on a mission for almost 2 years to get Bjorn a set of Fralin pickups, but until I spent a couple of days hanging out in Lindy’s shop, it kept getting lost in the absence of us talking about it. However I went in last week for a total of 7 hours over two days, and besides learning more about pickups than 30+ years of playing in somewhat successful bands had come close to teaching me. Lindy is known to most of the business, as a master of Vintage Fender Pickups, and is known for innovation, and for using the best materials available. Everyone from Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton , and even David have at least one set of his pickups, ( early versions of his splitblade, with Beck the only one who has them in a stage guitar at this time, but he has rexesigned them, and each of the 3 guitarists have a set waiting in a Lindon shop for pick up at this time! ), and as I’ve mentioned, the original pickups from the black Strat were sent to Lindy to be rewound, and they are still wound from that rewind. So, the real purpose of this post, is about the set of pups I got for my thineline Tele, a pair of P-90 inspired,( they are basically exactly the same as a P-90, but made for Teles!), with a neck rated at 8k, and bridge is a fairly hot 10.5k. These are without a doubt the best pickups I’ve ever heard in a Tele, and cover the live Dogs tones from the PAF David used in his ’59 perfectly. I’ve gad his Vintage hots in my Rodriguez since it was built, and they are absolute perfection of Vintage Fender tones, with 6.0 neck, 6.0middle, and 6.8 bridge, which us very close tot DG’s early ’70s pups. I’ve also noticed that the David Allen Pickups are wound very close to the Fralins, with the values of his 69s very close to the vintage hots, and his Voodoo Blues, almost the same as Fralins Blues Specials. Lindy has been winding pickups for 35 years, and still gigs nationally with his Blues band, the Bop Cats, and has been lauded by every major guitar magazine as the best vintage Fender style pickup builder there is. I’m happy to finally get a set to Bjorn, so his ears will finally see what he’s been missing all these years, and there nay be and there may be a new brand of pickup sitting in Bjornâ€™s main Strat soon. While that remains to be seen, I bet my life that you canâ€™t find a better Strat, or Tele pickup builder anywhere, and his Gibson style pups are top notch as well. You can find all the info tou need a Lindy Fralin pickups. I challenge you to find a less than stellar review in any respected publication. I canâ€™t find one!
Peace, Love, and Gilmourish!

[Hi Keith! Just got back from an awesome weekend in London. Seeing Roger at Wembley was a huge experience… not least due to the amazing crowd. I’m very much looking forward to try the Fralins. I’ll contact you very soon. Cheers :) – Bjorn]

Hi Bjorn
I wrote to Dave Allen about my situation and this was his response. What do you think

Hi Rick,
making buckers sound like single coils takes some doing.
I would recommend my P-51 set it sounds very nice when split. There are a couple youtube vids that show it coil split.
go to 2:15 onn this and you can hear the splits on this LPhttp://youtu.be/AjizI0-U1QI

[Sorry for my late reply. Allen has a variety of different P90s that should suit most nuances of the single/humbucker terrotory. I haven’t tried the 51 myself but the clip sounds promising. As I said in my previous reply I use P90s more and more and think they have a versatile quality for David’s sounds and any genere really. – Bjorn]

Rick from Chicago, I heard the most incredible thing in Lundy Fralins shop yesterday, and it would take care of that problem 100%. It was a Strat, with what looked like a humbucker in the bridge, but was two of his split blade noiseless single coils where a humbucker used to be. It had a master tone, and blender pot, and was wired so he could play it with his awesome splitblade as a single coil, not a tapped humbucker, and with a push on the blender pot, the second single coil kicked in, and it sounded like a grear humbucker! The great thing about this setup is, his splitblades do not have the problems that so called noiseless pickups cause, because they are two separate coils, that cover 3 strings each, which does nothing, when wound correctly to make them tonally different than a vintage single, but are in actuality a humbucking pickup. It’s based on the p-bass theory. You can find the info at Lindy Fralin Pickups, just Google his name, and contact him, he’ll hook you up, and you can get Gilmour, and Beck from the same ( well two!), pickup!
Peace, Keith

[Sorry for my late reply. I’m not that familiar with either of these amps but in terms of David’s tones and humbuckers I prefer either some low output PAFs or late 50s or P90s. Actually, I find myself using P90s more and more and often prefer them over single coils. They have more bite and attack than single coils but lots of headroom and as dark sounding as humbuckers. See Keith’s post as well for more tips. – Bjorn]

I was looking around for some pickups and I stumbled upon a small company here in Croatia that seems to make high quality pickups. All pickups look extremely good but I’m mostly intrigued by 1970 Strat pickups since those should be the most transparent ones and best for Hendrix and Gilmour’s pre-Animals tones. Am I right? Which ones do you like the most?
This would probably be my best bet since out here in Croatia everything is a little more expensive. These would cost me the same as Fender Custom Shop pickups.
Here’s the link to the pickups: http://www.wizz-pickups.com/pickups.html

What is your opinion of the Fender N3 pickups?
Also, would they benefit with 500k pots to brighten them up?

[Don’t have much experience with the N3s so I can’t really comment on that. Brightening up the high end loss caused by shielded pickups might work but you should do some tests and see which cap fits your guitar and rig. Using good quality cables and a buffer in your setup will always ensure a clean path for the signal. – Bjorn]

Hi Bjorn,
Thanks for the reply. I am actually not getting the entire guitar. Just the pre wired pick up guard. I am going to drop it in my FSR. Do you think it will be noticeably different than the set of cs 69’s that I currently have in it and do you think the quality of that pick up assembly is solid??
Thanks!

[I assume they know what they’re doing so that given the pickups themselves are top quality :) The Fat 50s and CS69 are very similar. The Fat 50s has a tad more mids. The SSL5 has about twice the output of a CS69. It’s slightly darker and lots more mids. I love it and it compliments the set nicely. – Bjorn]

Hi Bjorn, I’m loving the Seymour Duncan SSL5 in the Bridge on my Strat along with the CS69 in the middle and neck. What difference would there be changing the neck pickup to a Fat 50 ?
Would this be worthwhile? …I think this is the config (Fat50,CS69,SSL5)on the Custom Shop DG Black Strat?
Cheers,
Ross

[Yep, the CS DG Strats feature that combo. David’s however, is closer to a CS69+CS69+SSL5 combo. Not much difference between the 69 and F50s. A bit more mids and a slightly smoother character from the F50s but how that applies depends on your guitar, amp etc… – Bjorn]

Bjorne,
Are you familiar withe the 920D Mod Standard MIM Strat Custom Electric Guitar with Fat ’50s, ’69, and SSL-5 Pickups sold by Siglet Music Company? I currently have a fender MIM Fsr that I installed cs 69’s in. I was going to put a fat 50’s in the neck and ssl 5 in the bridge, but when I came across these on ebay I became interested. I am aware of the stratcat biz version, but this one is 250 with free shipping. At that price if it is of good quality it could save me some time and effort. Could you give me a little insight?

On another note,
A year ago I began my Gilmour tone chase using your site as my main guide. Using an mxr compressor, BYOC triangular and DOD delay (it was a free gift and will be upgraded later), I have come very close. I recently got a great deal on a Peavey Delta Blues 210 that I play through. I spent a day with a classic 30 side by side with it and the db produces a closer gilmour tone (for me). I am getting very close and think the pick up change will finish it off. Thank you for all the info and please give me any feedback you can?

[Thanks for your kind words, Chad! The 920D is pretty much what it says, – a modified MIM Standard with the same pickup configuration as the Fender CS DG Strats. If you’ve never tried a Standard then visit your local guitar shop and try one to see if you like the specs. If so then you can expect a decent quality from most MIMs today so it’s up to you :) – Bjorn]

First of all i’d really want to thank you for informing us about reaching gilmours sound. I have a 2007 strat american deluxe with rosewood neck and i want to change its pickups for reaching warmer tones like DG.
From your suggestions, i was thinking on cs 69s, Fat 50s set or maybe a sd ssl-5 on bridge pickup but i cannot decide between them. I would be happy if you give me an advice.

Thanks a lot

[Thanks for your kind words! Glad you enjoy my site :) Personally, I prefer the CS69s over the Fat 50s. The Fender Signature DG Strat feature a Fat 50s neck but David’s own guitar feature early 70s neck and mid, which would be closer to the CS69. The 69 has a bit more clarity and low end. The SSL5 is a great alternative for the bridge, with a bit more warmth and output. If you want something not as hot, then check out the D Allen Voodoo Blues set, which is based on the Fender CS69s, with a slightly overwound bridge. See my review here. – Bjorn]

Bjorn,
I have duncan ssl5 that i want to put in the bridge of my mex std strat. IM having an issue though, the pole pieces are staggered differently than the stock pups i have in there now, and the diagram that came with the ssl5 dosnt show anything about this. I was wondering if you could tell me witch direction the pup should go. In other words what pole pieces should be under witch strings?
Thanks for your time- Josh J

Hey Bjorn! Been a huge fan of Gilmourish.com for a while now and I’ve recently started building up my equipment and I’m wondering what the best pickup/combo is best for a Meddle-Wish you were here Gilmour tone? Thanks for the great site!

[Thanks Jake! Depends on what guitar and amp you have but in general I would say a full set of Fender CS69s or something similar like the D Allen Voodoo 69s. David didn’t start using the Duncan SSL until Wall. Having said that, the SSL5 compliments those tones perfectly. You could also go for the D Allen Voodoo Blues, which has a bridge wound for something between the CS69 and SSL5. – Bjorn]

Hi Bjorn, recently I bought a SD SSL-5 that is now installed in bridge position. My Strat is a 2008 American Strat: those guitars were equipped with standard American Strats Pickups, that sound pretty good (to me) in neck and middle position, but the one on the bridge sounded terribly harsh, with no bass or middle frequencies at all…pretty awful. With the SSL-5 that problem was fixed, with much more sustain and general sound quality improvement. Even combining it with the other two standard pickups. Absolutely a great purchase, even for everyone who wants to go beyond reaching Gilmour’s tone

[Hi Lorenzo! Yep, the SSL5 is a great sounding pickup and very versatile for a wide range of different tones and genres. Cheers! – Bjorn]

I want to upgrade my MIM Fender with some new pickups. The only problem is the humbucker in the bridge. I’d really like to get some convincing DSoTM and On An Island tones out if this guitar since I don’t have enough money to buy a whole new guitar. Is there a good combo of pickups you can recommend? I’m playing at home through a Blues jr.

Thanks again Bjorn!
Ben.

[How about a P90 for the bridge? Check out the S Duncan Phat Cat humbucker sized P90. I’d pair that up with a couple of CS69 or perhaps Texas Specials for a better match with the P90. That should get you close to those 70s tones. – Bjorn]

I want to buy a new set of pickups for my American Strat and was wondering which would give a better sound. I know you say that the Fender custom 69 pickups are spot for Atom Heart Mother-WYWH sounds, which is exactly what i want! The only issue I am having is the guy at the guitar store said the custom shop 54 were more Gilmour of that era! Your opinion/thoughts would help!!! I have played the 69’s and they do sound like David but never tried the 54’s!

[Well, David’s Black Strat featured stock late 60s pickups from 1970-1973 and early 70s pickups from 1973 to present (the bridge is a S Duncan SSL1 custom). The Fender CS69 is definitely the closest match. The #0001 Strat however feature mid 50s pickups. It’s not a huge difference between the two. The 69s are a bit more transparent, with a bit more low end but both has that bright vintage flavour. Depends on the guitar too and how well it matches the pickups. A third option would be the Texas Specials, which are basically 69s with a bit more mid range. – Bjorn]

I would love to hear your opinion on combining the Custom Shop 69’s Neck and Middle with a Dimarzio FS-1 in the bridge position. Cheers!!

[That would be what David used for Animals, his 78 solo album and the recording of The Wall. The FS1 is perhaps somewhere between a CS69 and the SSL5. Hotter and a bit warmer than the 69 but not as hot and mid rangy as the SSL5. – Bjorn]

Inspired form Gilmours great tones and of course your great reviews I have been in search of the components of my new strat! But I do fancy other classic rock legends such as Richie Blackmore and Rory Galagher. So I have thought about going with the classic Fat 50s in the neck, Custom 69 mid and either the Bare Knuckle Irish tour (Rory used them on his Irish tour) or the Seymour Duncan Quarter Pound (Richie Blackmores pickups) for the bridge. I am doing this to get a more versitile and crunchy sound so my question to you is do you think it will blend with the whole set so I can have a bit of Gilmours and Blackmours or Rorys sound?

Best regards , Christos Vrs

[Well, I haven’t tried it myself but judging by the specs it should work nicely. Perhaps not identical to David’s but a versatile setup nevertheless I guess. – Bjorn]

I’d like to know what you think about the RWRP middle pickups
. This seems to be a standard feature nowadays on many boutique pickups, as opposed to the exact vintage specs of the fender CS 69 which doesn’t have the RWRP for example.

I know the RWRP feature is supposed to lower the hum but won’t it kill the vintage vibe in your opinion?

And my second question is abour caps. The only ones I’ve used are 0.22 uF and 0.47 uF.
But after visiting a couple of websites that show the inside of vintage strats, it seems that all the vintage strats form 55 to 69 had a 0.1 uF cap ( orange round like the Cornell dubilier).

Do you know if David’s main Strat in the end of 60’s and till WYWH had a 0.1uF cap?

Best regards,

Sebastien

[I guess RWRP is about taste and preference. It doesn’t do all that to the tone but you will notice a slightly rolled of top so that might make them sound less vintage… I don’t know. Depends on the overall sound and resonance of the guitar as well. In regards to the caps… I’m sorry but I have very little knowledge about this. Perhaps someone else can help. – Bjorn]

I’m still sticking to my beloved Fender CS 69’s, and I’ve left the complete set on one of my strats, even the bridge pickup. I’ve also got the leosounds Fireball, wich is the same pickup. Made for that end 60’s /very early 70’s, Ritchie blackmore , Gilmour tone (till DSOTM), or hendrix at woodstock.

You should give the Lesosounds a chance, they’re made in Germany, old style wiring. great stuff.

that being said…. As everyone knows, having the 3 pickups withe the same low output (5.8 Hz ), gives a bridge pickup sometimes a bit too much trebly, not as hot as you’d like to.

Doi you think it would be a great choice to have a slighty more hot bridge pickup like in the Dave alklen Cs69 Voodoo set ( not the voodoo blues). does it really improve the bridge pickup sound, and won’t it kill my Blackmore tones(the guy switched between the bridge and the neck only, the middle pickup was pulled off)…in your opinion?

What do you have in, your strats today?

– I know that your black strat has SSl5 + 2 X cs69
– your rosewood neck japanese 65 model has the DG20
– what pickups do you have in your Hybrid strat with road worn body and warmoth neck?
– any other strat ?

At last, do you use the Dave allen pickups as definitive pickups in one of your many strats? or the TT Crazy Diamond?

Thanks again ,

Have a good evening .

Regards,

Sebastien

[Hi Sebastien! I don’t think the Voodoo’s will ruin your Blackmore tones. They have a slightly hotter bridge but not nearly as much as the SSL5. It just makes the pickup sound a bit more balanced and rounded. I experiment with new pickups all the time. At the moment, my main Strat feature D Allen Voodoo 69 neck and middle and Duncan SSL5. I also have one with DG20 that I often use for recording. The “frankenstein” you’re referring to feature Fender Tex/Mex (stock) neck and middle and a D Allen Voodoo Blues overwound bridge. This is my test guitar so I’m swapping pickups all the time. – Bjorn]

Well, i have never followed the rules everyone suggests that will get you a Gilmour sound…or any sound or tone…i tend to make my tones a little more versatile and dynamic, so i can use them and adapt them to every genre i play.
Currently i use an old 80’s Peavey Bass head, Mark VIII (yeah, i said bass head), wich will give me exactly the highs i want and love, and the low thumping bassy lines i need.
A modified and reversed, Vox Wah V847,
a modified Boss DS-1, wich gives me heavy as hell, or barely distorted sounds…
a Boss GE-7,
a MXR Analog Chorus,
a Boss FDR-1 Fender ’65 Deluxe Reverb…
yeeeah, it isn’t that fancy or complicated, and i almost get that gilmour sound i want, is just that my strat lacks the ‘punch’ or the ‘highs with a little bass thrown in there’ …
by reading your reviews of the pickups, i think i feel more attracted to the Custom Shop 69’s, but i’m not too sure…

[Sorry for my late reply, Robert. I agree with your philosophy. Create your own tones, that’s always the best approach :) Based on your setup I’d recommend the CS 69s. They’re very similar to the late 60s pickups David used when recording and playing Echoes in the 70s. You might want to check out the D Allen Voodoo Blues set, which are 69s neck and mid and a slightly overwound bridge for a bit more bite. – Bjorn]

Hey Bjorn!, i just have one question, i’ve been trying to get the Echoes tone, and i’ve been wondering what kind of pickups should i get, the stock ones i have do not have the punch nor the crystal sound i’ve been longing for…

[Hi Robert. What amp and pedals do you use to get the Echoes tone? Let me know and I’ll try to help :) – Bjorn]

For anyone looking for a flatpole alternative to Fender 69’s, I highly recommend the Gypsy set from Rumpelstiltskin. I have these with a slightly hotter bridge (6,1k) in a 10-16 radius Warmoth strat, and they definitly hold their one against the 69’s. Slightly mid-scooped with clarity and strong bass, and perfect for authentic Hendrix, Gilmour and Blackmore tones etc.

Great customer service, and lots of configurations to choose from. Aaron will wind to your exact spesifications

Just got the 50s RI neck with the vintage tuners….aged alder solid piece cut to American strat specs….vintage style trem….

Question:
1) Now I’m ready to get the pickups. But a bit confused on 250k vs 500k pots and where to go to buy the neck toggle switch.

2) other than the finish how does nitro cellulos vs poly paint effect the tone?

[Sorry for my late reply Randy. There are lots of part dealers out there. I usually search guitarpartsresource.com. Go for the 250k for your Strats but be sure to get some high quality ones and not the cheap copies. How the laquer affects your tone depends on the wood of the body and neck but in general, nitro is a bit warmer and softer, while poly is a tad brighter with a it more bite. – Bjorn]

K…so far i have a 50RI fender neck…a single piece alder cut to the us strat specs and now getting ready to buy the pups. but how do i know the types of pots to use….for the black strat do i use 500 or the 250k? any suggestions?

thanks

[I’d use 250k. They fit the single coils better. Be sure to get some high quality ones. You don’t want to compromise the quality of the tone and volume pots. – Bjorn]

Thanks a lot for the answer! I talked to my guitar tech and he said “I can’t even play with a guitar that isn’t shielded”. So I’m gonna have it done.

But I have a kinda silly question: if you could choose just one set of pups, having in mind a gilmourish tone (let’s say… from More to Pompeii or DSOTM)…

Which one would you go for: a fat 50’s or a Texas Special?

[Keep in mind though that shielding will only eliminate the buzz. The hum is hard to get rid of. See the feature above for details. Both pickup sets will go nicely for the periods you’re mentioning but a more accurate set would be the CS69s. – Bjorn]

I’m considering intalling a CS Fat 50’s on my MIM Strat and I was wondering if shielding the guitar as well would be a good idea. Are your guitars shielded?

When I last participated in a recording session the buzz kinda got under my skin at the moment of recording, but nothing that was really a problem at the mix.

Considering that “shielding will also reduce some of the high frequencies”, in your opinion does the buzz reduction pay off the signal loss?

Thanks a lot!

[If you have a serious problem with buzz then shielding might be a good idea. However and as you point out, there will be some high end roll off. You might not notice it though depending on the transparency of your signal. All my Strats are shielded with copper foil and I have no problem with buzz. – Bjorn]

great article. i have recently replaced the stock pickups in my black 2008 mim strat with a sd ssl-5 in the bridge and ssl-1s in the neck and mid and will probably leave them there from now on. these pickups are outstanding. the ssl-1s totally have a vintage vibe while the ssl-5 has an overwound sound it still sounds like a strat.

by the way i personally belive that with a proper setup a stock mim strat can be just as good as a mia but thats just my opinion.

[I agree with you there, Jason. How good or well a guitar sounds and play have nothing to do with where it’s made. There are some differences between US and MIMs, in terms of laquer, contour and general specs but that’s more down to taste than quality. The biggest difference is the hardware, electronics and pickups but as you say, a proper set up and some mods will make a MIM stand up to any US. – Bjorn]

Thanks guys your input means alot to me as an avid Gilmour fan you try to play as your hero and try to replicatehis sounds I got my Telecaster at what was Manny’s Music shop (now its sam ash) and it was like calling out to me as I plugged it through a blues junior which thanks to this site for recommending it I now intend on getting it. I also checked the Fralin pickups site and a couple of models caught my eye my worries are for songs like dogs or sheep would a hot pickup be too much or is vintage styling the way to go? Again thanks for your time fellas cheers from New York City!!!!

[Glad we can help, David! I don’t think you can wrong with any pickup although for the typical Gilmour Tele sounds, I’d prefer low output vintage voiced around 6-7k. Pickups, although important, is just one factor of the tone. How your Animals or other tones ends up, depends as much on the guitar it self, the amp, pedals, your settings, playing etc etc etc… :) – Bjorn]

Just looking through these cold posts, and wanted to clarify the hat vintage hots, is just a name. A ’69 fender Strat pup is about 5.8k, and a Fralin Vintage hot is about 6.0 k, not much difference there! However, the “bullet Strat” pups DG has in the black Strat only average about 5.3k, while the SSL-5 is around 12k, not anything vintage about that, but they do have a tap around 7k, so with a more cro switch, the SSL-5 is a great vintage pickup when tapped, and a real screamer when the whole coil is used.
Peace, KC

@ David, check out the Lindy Fralin pickup site, he has many alternatives from Stock Tele,(slightly hotter), to a P-90 that fits Teles. If you’re looking for low noise, straight Tele sound, with a little heat, his Split -bladeÂ® Teles are noiseless, but not the kind of noiseless that keeps you from getting good feedback, and works just like single coils. He will wind the bridge as hot as is humanly possible upon request, and you can call, and tell him exactly what you’re looking for! I have his Vintage Hots in my Strat, and they are the quietest single coils I’ve ever owned, but the tone is pure ’69 Fender! I am his friend, but recieve no compensation for pushing his pups, just trying to give everyone on GILMORISH, THE Fender alternative! Bjorn, had a meeting, your Vintage hots will be in the mail soon!

Good day Bjorn lovin the website its a great spot for info on setups the pickups here talk more on a strat model guitars but what do you recommend for pickups for a Telecaster Since I read that the mim tele pickuos are a bit boomy Im trying to get that Run Like Hell type of sound

[I prefer the early 60s models with about 7k. These are transaparent, vintage voiced with a hint of mid range and a nice bite. The Texas Specials are also quite nice. Personally I’m using a NoCaster neck and early 60s bridge. – Bjorn]

Hi,
I am planning on building a Gilmour Black Strat and I would like to get in the neighborhood of the “Live in Gdansk” sound of “Shine on You Crazy Diamond” clean and over driven sound. What pickups do you currently recommend? I see some new Seymour Duncan Custom Shop Gilmour sets of 3 out on the market now, but I thought I would ask your opinion. Do you still recommend the Classic Series 50’s Strat?, then replace the pickups, bridge, pots & caps, etc. You have a great site and you’re doing a good service helping all of us on our tonequest. Thanks, Mike

[Yes, the Classic Series feature som very nice guitars with the right feel and looks for the Black Strat. I do recommend that you try a few models and choose the best sounding one. Mexican Fenders tend to vary in quality and tone. Pickupswise, I’d go for a classic 69 neck and middle and a SSL5 bridge. That’ll give you the closest match to David’s guitar. Swap the Fender 69s with Duncan SSL1 or check out the D Allen Voodoo 69s. – Bjorn]

Hey Bjorn,
Love the new site! Quick question– I’ve got a MIM CS ’50s and am looking to at least replace the bridge pup for something SS-L5ish. Do you know how my stock neck and middle pups compare to, the Voodoo Blues neck and middle? Should I replace the whole set or just go for the Voodoo Blues bridge, to get Animals-present Black Strat tones? My current neck/middle have really nice tones, as is, but perhaps the D Allen is a bit more well-rounded… I’d love to hear your thoughts! Thanks, John

[The stock CS 50s pickups are based on the Custom Shop 54s. Low output, clean and a hint of mid range. The Voodoos, being hand wound and having better quality parts, will sound fatter, more open and have a much better sustain. Tonewise, they’re quite similar with a transparent clean tone and a fairly low output, as vintage single coils did have. I would definitely make the swap. – Bjorn]

Lindy Fralin, Fralin pickups, makes some fine split blade Tele pickups, and a p-90 style Tele pickup as well. Search his site, or call and talk to them. I’m sure they could set you up with some great Gilmourish pickups for a Tele. Mine’s being done with custom wound Fralins as we speak!
Peace all, Keith

First great thx to your answers in the other 2013 reviews. Secondly – topic came up above already – any input for telecaster set-up for David’s tone (beside custom made tele with strat pickups)? Quite not a friend of strat shape, tele feels much better in my (!) hands. thx

[I think almost any Tele could replicate David’s tones. I have a Custom myself that I’ve loaded with a custom NoCaster neck and custom late 60s bridge, which has a bit more mid range than the stocks. You could also go for something with even a bit more bite. – Bjorn]

You have an awesome site going here, very informative. I love it! What would be a good set/combo for Live at Pompeii tones? Would it be just a set of all ’69’s? Or would a combo of 69’s/SSL5’s work? Also, which combo gives more variety in it’s tones; I play more than just Gilmour inspired stuff – when it isn’t Gilmour/Pink Floyd, I listen to Southern type stuff like the Allman Brothers and the Black Crowes. Any insight you may be able to give me into what types of pickups would work for me would be great. Thanks

[Thanks for your kind words! A full set of 69s would be the closest match to David’s Pompeii tones. The SSL5 in the bridge works nicely too and adds a bit more balls to your tone. I also recommend the Texas Specials, which are similar to the 69s but the slightly boosted mid range might make them more versatile. – Bjorn]

This is the case with some fuzz pedals, unless you have a buffered wah like the Area 51 Buffered Wah for Fuzz pedals which works well in front of fuzz pedals. I recommend a Eye Rock Electronics Gull Switch if there is an issue. it is just a signal switcher and turns your wah from a wah into a seagull at the push of a button. I truly prefer having the Fuzz after the wah in my system (using an Area 51 buffered wah). Putting a fuzz before the wah makes the wah sound anemic to me personally. Cheers

I swear I’m not trying to hijack the posts, but I just read an interesting article by Roger Mayer, who worked with Hendrix, and designed what he called the ” Ocatavia”. I always thought it was just an octave pedal, with a unique sound, and had no idea it was a Fuzz pedal as well. The originals were two piece, with basically a germanium fuzz in one box, and an octave, and filter in the other. Mayer then went to silicon, and combined everything in the famous”cheese wedge”. Quite frankly, I didn’t even look at the pedal enough to see the controls are, level, and fuzz, and only ordered it to get 1 of 2300, attempting to get the entire tribute set, but missed out on the Univibe. So, have you played this pedal, and how does the fuzz stack up against the Fuzz Face? I believe Jimi used a germanium Fuzz Face, then a germanium Octavio, as he liked to call it. I’m not sure if he continued to stack another fuzz in fron when it went to silicon. Should I run both to get that wild sound in the Purple Haze outro solo, and Machine gun? I know this is Gilmourish, but I know you know quite a bit about Hendrix as well. Sorry to be so inquisitive about a pedal that’s not Gilmourish, but it is a very interesting subject, having actually learned what it really does!
Thanks, Keith

[No worries Keith… it’s all about guitar :) I haven’t explored Hendrix’s setup that much but I know he did some crazy stuff and stacked the FF, Octavias, UniVibe and wah on some occasions. I haven’t tried that my self, basically because I don’t like Octavias (imagine that!), but I would imagine you’d need to be pretty hands on the guitar volume to find the right balance. Jimi’s old Marshalls were cranked beyond sanity but they also had a lot of headroom, which could handle this sort of setup. Again, I’m sure there are others that both knows and has much more experience with Hendrix’s setup than I. – Bjorn]

Hey Bjorn, I know you said first, and I always listen to you, but I’m taking the wah off the board to make room, and to place the wah where I can easily reverse it. Would it make a big difference to place the Octavio between the Wah, and my JH-M1 Fuzz Face? It sure would make my board work out better, space wise!
Thanks, Keith

[There’s really no wrong way to arrange the pedals. Either way it will affect your tone. I prefer having all fuzz pedals first, then wah, the rest of the gains etc. The wah will alter the fuzz even when it’s off, so it’s best to have this after. Why don’t you just arrange the pedals as you want them and use longer cables? A buffer at the end of the chain will compensate. – Bjorn]

Hi Bjorn, great site very informative.I’ve got CS Fat 50s in my Strat and i’m putting a Dimarzio FS-1 in the bridge should i change the middle pickup to a CS 69 to get the Black Strat tones or will the Fat 50 cover it. Thanks for all the jnfo, Pat

[The Fat 50s will cover it but I prefer the 69. It has more clarity and punch, which is nice for the middle position. – Bjorn]

I’d interested to know whether you’ve tried Seymour Duncan Antiquity pickups, and if so what you thought of them. I’ve currently got Surfers fitted to the neck/middle of my G&L Legacy, and I’m planning on putting a Texas Hot Custom bridge in the bridge position…

@ Fritz, I’m by no means an expert on what DG does, or doesn’t use, but living in Richmond, Va. and being a close friend of pickup artist Lindy Fralin, I do know that about 1 1/2-2 years ago, the original Black Strat pickups came into the Fralin shop, with Phil Taylors name as the sender, asking for a stock rewind. Whether they got used or not is not known, but it is a fact that they were wound with stock wire, at 8000, 8000, and 8400 winds respectively. I assume they were sent to Fralin because in the opinion of most, he is more familiar with Fender, and specifically Strat pickups, than most people alive today, and I have his Cintage hots in my guitar, with resitance readings close to those DG has in the current Black Strat: N: 6.0, M: 6.0, B: 6.8 middle pickup is RWRP, and all have #42 Formvar wire, with the bridge having a “bass plate” to strengthen, and smooth the bass, without losing high end, and middle. Just Google Fralin pickups to check out his site.
peace, Keith

Excellent article Bjorn!… So, I have a setup in mind… A Fender Classic Series 60’s reissue with a Dimarzio FS-1 bridge pickup… I plan on building a replica of the ’77 version of the Black Strat… What do you think? Are there any other little things that I have missed out? Many thanks, Will.

[Thanks! Depends on how much you want to spend. The stock Classic Series pickups are OK and based on the late 60s tone but I recommend upgrading these for some handwound ones like the Fender CS69s or the D Allen Voodoo 69. I also recommend that you consider replacing the stock tremolo system with something better, like the Callaham Vintage set. It’s much more stable, smoother operation and better sustain. These upgrades will take your guitar to a pro level. Good luck with the project! – Bjorn]

Regarding DG’s use of Seymour Duncan pickups, I directed your attention to page 116 of Phil Taylor’s book on The Black Strat. There is a picture of the invoice from SD for pickups dated July 1979 — this is when DG changed from the Dimarzio FS-1 in the bridge position to the SD SSL-5 which has remained and is used in the Custom Shop signature model. As I understand it, the 3 pickups identified as SSL-1C are now under the name of the SSL-5. Is this correct?

What about the other two SSL-1C? What about the SSL-4 Quarter Pound and the standard SSL-1? Were these simply tried, found lacking and set aside?

The reason I bring this up and ask is that I have recently received information that the configuration of The Black Strat in the neck and middle positions are not, in fact, the stock Fender pickups from the 1971/2 Bullet Strat, but are Seymour Duncans closely resembling SSL-1.

I don’t have Phil Taylor’s contact information, nor do I have a contact at Seymour Duncan to try and find this out, so …. I thought I’d throw it out here.

[The Black Strat book clearly shows pictures of the Bullet Strat pickups in the neck and middle position of the Black Strat. I haven’t heard or seen otherwise. The Fender Signature Strats feature a FAT 50s neck and a custom wound late 60-ish middle, which is different from David’s own setup. I have no information on what may have happened to the SSL4 and standard SSL1 but I’m sure David and Phil tried and still tries out tons of stuff that they end up never using. According to Duncan, the SSL1C is the forerunner to the SSL5 so I assume they’re more or less identical. – Bjorn]

This post is just because of the question about Tele Pups. Lindy Fralin, of Fralin pickups now makes a P-90 that is very close in sound to stock Gibson spec P-90’s, although a bit quieter, and fits standard Telecasters! They look like a tele pickup, but sound like an early P-90. Since my Squier Thinline has a Gibson scale neck, and is a semi hollow body, I’m having a set put into it to get just a tad closer to the sound of an ES series Gibson, I hope! I sure do miss my ’71 335. :(
Check out his website, although I don’t think he’s updated the site to include the Tele P-90 yet!
Peace y’all, Keith

What kind of pickups are in “The Workmate” 1955 Esquire? Are the other telecasters he is using right now (eg, 1952 Butterscotch Reissue) have stock pickups, or are they Seymour Duncans?
Thanks.

BTW, your site gets better and better — thank you for this.

[Thank you Fritz! To my knowledge, it’s never been documented what kind of pickups there is in the Workmate. It says that Duncan custom wound the neck but I would assume he also did the bridge. Judging by its tone, I would guess it close to a so called NoCaster winding… perhaps a tad hotter. The 52 Butterscotch and the 50s Custom Shop that he used on the last tour, all feature stock pickups. – Bjorn]

Thanks for this article. I’m wondering if you are familiar with LeoSounds pickups, and if so, if you can offer any comments please? I’m thinking about putting a set in my Strat, possibly their Vintage Player 1966 Classic in the neck and mid, and a hotter model such as their Red House in the bridge.

I’ve used a Lace Sensor Hot Gold set for the last couple years in my Black Strat and what I can say about them is that they are good pickups but they are not the most Gilmourish pickups. The Hot Golds are good for more of a more modern sound (although I did run across a video of Gilmour playing a strat loaded with LS Hot Golds when he was playing for some random unrelated act). Now I’m replacing them with a set of Fender Tex Mex for the neck and middle and an SSL-5 for the bridge, finally building the guitar I’ve dreamed of

[I have the TexMex and SSL5 combo in my test-Strat at the moment… the sunburst used on the AnalogMan SunFace clip. I love that combo! – Bjorn]

Howdy, really enjoy your site, Bjorn. Just wanted to put in a word for the 57/62s, which surprised me no end — I was expecting them to come up short to the CS69s I’ve been using (and still will) but on the 57 Vintage reissue, which isn’t an expensive guitar, these stock Fender pickups are great for Gilmourish tones (early period, my favorite period). I’m using a Lunar Module and/or Hoof Fuzz, Laney Cub, and the Pompeii tones are phenomenal (not that I can really play it — yet!). I thought they’d be too “country” but they really shine. They can cut up some harder stuff as well, very versatile. Cheers —

Since you knew this was coming, I thought I’d get it out of the way. It is a fact, not some myth, that Lindy Fralin wound the pickups from the black strat, they are not being used, because of many reasons, some of which seem to be contractual with Fender,(this has been told to me, but this reason, I cannot say is true or not), but the fact that Phil sent them to Lindy says something about his work. You said you’d tried some of his pickups, but not his Vintage Hots, which are .1k hotter than Fender 69’s at 6k neck, and middle. The bridge can vary depending on what you want, but because of the use of #42 formvar wire, the max is 6.8 which I chose for CYMBALINE,( my handcrafted, Not Quite Black Strat replica. You never said which of his pickups you didn’t care for, but he is world reknown for making the best Strat style pickups, and P-90s available, anx I cannot under any circumstances understand why you haven’t tried the Vintage Hots. I know you depend on builders to send you items for review, and Lindy showed some interest when I told him of the site, but he spends every waking hour winding pickups the old way, and NO ONE but he winds pickups with his name on them. He has a staff of three, who solder leads, anzwer phones, and take care of the shipping, but none ever touches the winding. He also hand bevels each pole piece, uses Alnico III in his 54s, and Alnico V in the V Hs. He as a player, has always lived, and breathed STRATS, and I’ve seen him play one of the most incredible Voodoo Chile( slight return) versions through a champ, no pedals, that would have made Jimi Smile! He is THE STRAT MAN I’m going to attemt to get you two together one more time, as I KNOW his pickups belong at the top of the list. Once again, no insult intended, as you can’t review what you haven’t played, but there has to be a way to get a set to you. I promise you will freak out, and fall in love with them!
Peace, love the new gear guide! KEITH

[Nice plug, Keith :) I don’t doubt you’re happy with the pickups! As I’ve said before, I’d be happy to check out whatever I may receive :) – Bjorn]

I like the new look articles on Pickups and Fuzz, good stuff. I’m thinking of upgrading the pickups on my Korean Strat (Ash body, maple neck), it’s not necessarily too bright or too dark, they sound okay clean but don’t seem to handle fuzz well! I’m thinking maybe a set of Fender 69’s or maybe Dimarzio Area 58’s or 67’s as i’m trying to go for an early Gilmour-based tone. Someone i know mentioned Gold Lace Sensors but I’m not sure. What do you think?

[What amp are you using? I would assume that the fuzz issue lies more with the amp than the pickups. Anyway, the vintage style pickups you mention will all do nicely for an early era Gilmour tone. Personally I don’t care much for the Lace. To me they sound a bit flat and dark but try them and make up your own mind :) – Bjorn]

I’m in love with two of David’s main tones, only problem is, their from polar opposite eras. I love all of his Pompeii-Wall tones, and that smooth screaming loud late 80’s modern Delicate Sound of Thunder tone. I’ve been really torn between to DG20s and the CS69 with SSL-5 and possibly Fat 50’s Bridge combo. Is that tone all in the pedals, or hidden in the pickups? In other words, what are the most versatile pickups to nail both those eras? A few more questions; I’m going away for the summer out of the country, and my guitar’s a little hefty to carry on the plane, and I’ve heard horror stories about $20,000 vintage guitars getting eaten by those monstrous baggage machines. So I was looking into getting a travel guitar and amp as well. I looked at the Steinberger GT guitars, and the fact that David used them on Momentary Lapse was a big plus for me. But Im kinda at a loss for amps. What is an amp that is small enough to fit in a suitcase easily but can still pack a nice punch, and maybe has some headroom for pedals? My Fender Champ 600 is too big and wont match the voltage over there. Thanks in advance!

[The tone is mainly in the pickups, pedals and not least the amps. Regardless of what pickups and pedals you choose you can’t expect them to sound like David’s setup without a decent amp. If you ask me, I would say that the Black Strat pickup combo is the most versatile. They nail all of the early and latter tones and they’ll do a pretty nice job replicating the 80s and 90s as well. Ampwise, I think you’re better off with a processor like the POD or similar. – Bjorn]

yes! I have them in my black strat and they are amazing. I wanted to keep my echoes bridge so Jose made me the neck and middle custom because the directions are different. I kept the echoes bridge because its splittable and the lower output works better on some fuzz pedals. Im looking to offload my EMGs from the red strat and I cant think of anything better than another set of Nicos. Interestingly with the hot bridge the specs are right on the U2 edge custom shop strat as well.

That link above is old. You can get a pre-built loaded pickguard for that price now :)

I find one thing a bit curious: The 0001 Strat is supposed to have Alnico III pickups if original, not Alnico 5, althought the not so correct ’54 reissues do feature that alloy. Also the polepiece crossection is supposed to be different, though I don’t remember quite in what way, now.

As such the ’57/’62 set and others similar should sound a good bit steelier and stiffer by comparison.

Those original pickups should be closer to Fralin Real ’54s, and those other non-Fender pickups mentioned by you w. 54 in their names, with more compression and less snap in the highs. Some pickups w. Alnico II and even 5, if designed with that in mind, come pretty close too.

[You may be right on that one. The CS54s are very close but perhaps not authentic enough. I guess we won’t know unless we get to try the #0001. Depends on the guitar’s specs as well and how well it resonates all the characteristics of the pickup. Thanks for the input! – Bjorn]